Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend
by I LIKE FEAR 1-2
Summary: The Motherfucker had his father killed. Dealing with the death of his father Dave's mind begins to fracture, will Dave's new Hero persona lead him down a path of Carnage or will a certain young superhero be able to save him while at the same time dealing with her developing feelings for the world's first anti-hero "The Fallen" Mindy/Dave pairing: M for, language and adult stuff.
1. Chapter 1

_ Welcome all, this is my first Kickass story so you'll have to forgive if it's not up to par with some of the masters out there. The story take place toward the end of Kickass 2 so I guess I should put this out there... **SPOILERS** **SPOILERS**_ **SPOILERS.**_I'd really appreciate any reviews good or bad, I'm the kind of guy that thrives off of reviews so go right on ahead and share your thoughts my only request is keep things civil. Anyway, let's begin._

**Fall of a hero, Rise** of** a legend.**

Chapter 1

Marty stared at the picture on Dave's phone, he couldn't breathe. The Motherfucker had murdered Dave's father, and then had the balls to send him pics of the act. Marty couldn't believe it. He looked down to see his friend sitting at the base of the stairs, Dave was weeping into his hands. All Marty could think to do was, sit next to his friend, and listen to him weep.

* * *

Dave just couldn't believe it. His father was dead, the man that had raised him, taught him right from wrong, the man who took the fall for being Kickass, the man whom he belittled for not having any real purpose in life, was dead. The last things he said before his dad was arrested began echoing through his head. He remember how he told his dad that he had nothing in his life, that there was nothing that he would leave behind when he was gone. Dave couldn't hold back the self loathing that began to spring forward, but he also couldn't escape the feeling that something else, was welling up inside him.

Dave slowly got to his feet, and began walking out of the building. Dave was faintly aware, that Marty, was right by his side the whole way.

"Dave, man. Where are you going?" Marty asked with as much concern as he could muster.

"The police station." Dave replied with a weary tone. Dave looked to still be in shock as he got in his car and drove to the police station, Marty didn't speak until they got to the station.

"What are we doing here Dave?" Marty asked in a quite tone, more to himself than Dave.

Dave ignored his question as he walked into the police station, he was vaguely aware that his legs felt like they were full of bricks, each step was a challenge. After what felt like an hour of walking, Dave made it to the front desk, He immediately noticed that the cops were going bonkers. People were rushing everywhere, there were people yelling to one another, they were flipping there shit, it wasn't often, someone gets killed in there own damn building.

Dave simply stood in the center of the room, he held his phone in his hand and he just stood there, taking in his surroundings. It was only a few seconds before a cop noticed him standing their, and decided to come over.

"Hey their son. What seems to be the problem?" A young looking cop asked Dave. "Hey kid, are you alright?"

All Dave could manage to do was hand the cop his phone, the cop took it with a curious look on his face. Marty stepped forward as Dave went over to the chairs to sit down. "Check the last message he got." The cop did so, and for a second he showed no emotion, the then he suddenly recognized the man in the picture as the one that just got killed in back. "It's his dad." Marty explained meekly, as he wandered over to were Dave was, and sat next to him.

The cop quickly walked to his captain's office to tell him the news. sixty seconds went by, before the cop, and his captain walked over to the boys. "Son, is this your father?" The captain asked Dave with a rough but sympathetic tone.

All Dave could think to do was nod slightly as his very last conversation with his dad played through his head over and over and over again.

* * *

"Promise me that you'll never put that costume on again." His father said to him.

"I promise" Dave replied meekly, after a moment of thought.

* * *

This scene kept repeating in Dave's head, he felt more emotions well up inside him as he watched the scene continue to play out in his head. He couldn't help crying as he remembered the look on his father's face as he said those words, the concern, the worry, the tiniest ounce of pride.

As the cops began asking there questions, Dave just lowered his head into his hands and wept for his father, who had died protecting him.

* * *

- one hour later

An hour of questioning went by, Dave didn't say much. Marty answered most of the questions for him. Dave found it surprising that it was only around the forty-five minute mark that they started asking about his father being Kickass. Dave was quick to answer those questions by simply stating that his dad told him that he had started working at night. The cops didn't take it much further than that, with their questions, Dave felt lucky that the cop that was asking the questions was very sympathetic to his very recent loss.

After the questions, Dave asked to talk to the guy in charge of this investigation. He was met by the captain that had met with him earlier, Dave told him that Chris D'amico was The Motherfucker, Dave also asked that they keep the press out of it. Dave didn't want anyone knowing that his dad was Kickass. Dave told the cop that he just wanted to bury his father in peace. The cop understood that if people knew that kickass has been killed they would swarm this kid. The cop said that he couldn't promise him anything but he would make sure that his fathers death was as quite as possible.

Afterward Dave left by himself, Marty was picked up by his father.

Dave drove to his home and sat alone in his room, His mind was full of worry, he waited, and waited. He was sure that Chris would come for him, it was around midnight when he finally decided 'to hell with it,' and finally went to sleep.

Dave woke up to find that nothing had happened, Chris never showed up, no evil bastards broke into his home.

He was relieved to hear the later that day, that the investigation was over, it was pretty open and close. Later, Dave texted Marty, and asked him not to tell anyone about his dad.

This confused Marty more than anything else, he had to text back, "Why?" Dave told him that he couldn't let Chris win like that, he didn't want anyone else to give Chris the pleasure of knowing he'd won. Dave told him that all he wanted to do was grieve in private.

In the end that's exactly what he did, Dave called the school and told them that he'd come down with a serious bug and wouldn't be in for a few days. And then proceeded to go through the proper channels to get his father cremated. He stayed home for a week and a half after he scattered his fathers ashes over the ocean. And on Monday, he was back at school. Marty was the only person who knew, besides the teachers who all pulled him aside to offer they're sympathy.

Dave spent the first few days back at school, in a daze, Marty was there to meet him when he left his classes and walked him to his next. More than once Dave found himself in the bathroom crying. Even though he was trying his best, people could tell that there was something wrong with him. Chief among these people, was his closest friend and old partner Mindy. Dave was lucky that she was currently not talking to him because of the whole hanging up the costume thing, that she had promised her foster father, Marcus.

Mindy was a perceptive girl though, and she immediately noticed when he stopped talking to her. Sure, she had usually blown him off, or yelled at him the last few times he tried to talk to her, but he still always tried, and even the few times where she thought she had hurt his feeling, he still talked to her, he still said "Hi." when he walked by, or he'd smile at her. Not today though.

Today, there was no "Hi", there was no smile, she could tell that he was down, and for the first time since she'd hung up her cape she was worried about Dave. After third period she met Dave outside his class, she really wanted to know what his problem was, there was a knot in her stomach when she saw him walk out of his classroom, she knew she'd felt it before, but couldn't remember where.

"Hey." she said to Dave as he walked out of the class.

"Hey Mindy... whats up?" He asked with a bit of optimism, though Mindy could tell that is was forced.

"Nothing, just wanted to check up on you, you seem, kind of down today." Mindy asked as she analyzed his face, he looked like he hadn't slept in a while. "Is there something wrong?"

Dave had a far-away look on his face as he searched for something to say, in the end he settled on deflecting with humor.

"... Yeah I was down at atomic comics, and I heard that they had made an anime out of the Elfen Lied Manga, but it sucks in comparison." He replied and received a snicker from Marty who was standing nearby.

Mindy stared at him, as the depression in his voice faded, either what was bothering him, wasn't a big deal, or he was hiding something, she guessed the latter. "Come on you dork, just tell me what's up."

"Alright, I watched "Llamas with hats" for like three hours straight and now I'm sad that I stopped." he replied sheepishly, to which Marty snickered again.

Mindy just stared at him, now she was sure he was deflecting. "Come on Dave you aren't the kind of douche that bottles everything up, so come on, spit it out." Mindy was now starting to get a little worried, if this was something that Dave thought he couldn't tell her, then it was huge. She realized that they weren't as close as they had been since she hung up the cape, but she still thought Dave was her best friend. Either this was too big for him to share with others or he didn't trust her with his problems anymore, the latter horrified her to her core. Mindy had never lost a friend before, she didn't know much about having friends until she met Dave, and she didn't want to lose him. Seeing as he was probably her only friend left in this school now that she'd taken down the popular girls.

A thought struck her, she hadn't heard anymore from Dave about his father getting arrested for being kickass. She remembered his call to her. In fact, she remembered blowing him off without hearing him out that night, telling him that she couldn't help him. "Hey Dave, this isn't about your dad being kickass is it?" She said eying Marty and Dave.

She noticed Marty's eyes shoot to Dave, but Dave only shrugged. "They didn't end up charging him with anything, so he got out a few days ago." He said with a little shrug.

"Yeah," Marty chimed in. "Poor guy. Gets arrested for being Kickass, spends a night in jail, gets out, and has to take care of this sap. What did you have Dave, a case of the taco shits or something?"

"Oh god, don't remind me." Dave said with a smile. "I think I lost five pounds of body weight."

"Gross." Mindy said with a giggle. She finally saw the old goofy Dave again. "So if it's not your dad then what's bothering you?" She asked with a smile.

"Okay miss nosy... I met the most amazing looking girl..." Dave started.

"Okay. Never mind don't need to hear about it." Mindy said with a smile as she turned to leave.

"Thanks for checking in on me." Dave said as he turned to head for his next class.

Mindy held her smile as she walked toward her next class. "Theirs no problems." she thought to herself, sure we may be going through a disagreement right now, but Dave and I are inseparable. Mindy was still a little worried that her and Dave's friendship might be on the decline, "Maybe I should hangout with him one of these days." she thought to herself.

* * *

- meanwhile

"Wasn't that the girl you were banging when you were with..." Marty started with a smile.

"Shut up man." Dave cut him off, "She's the last person I want to bring into this."

"Oh. Whys that?" Marty asked.

"She's my closest friend, besides you. If I could, I'd want you out of the loop too, but since that can't happen I just need to make sure no one else gets involved." Dave said with a serious voice.

"Okay man, you've been freaking me out as of late. Please tell me, what you're up to? I can help...I want to help." Marty pleaded to his friend.

"I'll tell you later." Dave said as they made it to their class.

* * *

- Two days later

Two days went by before Dave called Marty out to a spot in the city, he told him to come as Battle Guy.

Marty arrived at the location, Dave had told him to meet outside of their old Justice Forever Headquarters. Marty stood in the alley and vividly recalled the feeling of being in the headquarters, having a base, a place to be safe, until The Motherfucker tore it apart and killed Colonel stars. Just as the thought ended a dark figure appeared behind Marty and scared the fuck out of him.

"Jesus!" Marty shouted as he jumped and raised his shield. He got a good look at the figure. This person was tall, and wore a long black trench coat with a hood, they looked like the guy with the hook from the those movies "I know what you did last summer" They had on, long black baggy pants with black boots. Marty looked the man over closer, he noticed that the guy had on thick black gloves, but what stood out more than all that, was that the guy looked like he was wearing balaclava under the hood, though Marty couldn't tell in the light. Marty's eyes were also drawn to what looked like sword handles on the guys back. "Hey dude, can I help you?" Marty asked with a bit of fear as he eyed to sword handles.

The hooded figure walked towards him, the guy looked like the scariest bad-ass Marty had ever seen. As the guy got close, Marty was able to confirm the balaclava. "Dude... I think you should stop right there or I'm gonna have to lay into you." Marty said, he cursed to himself as he realized how much of a bitch he sounded like.

"Cool your shit Marty, it's just me." Came an amused voice.

"Dave?" Marty said as he lowered his shield. "What the fuck man? Is that really you under there?"

"Yup?" Dave replied "Well I guess I got the intimidating part down. I had you ready to piss yourself."

"Dave. It is you, you bastard. What the hell you dressed like that for? You look like a fucking demon slayer from the comics." Marty asked as he started to relax.

"Cool. That's what I'm going for. Gotta look like I'm straight outta hell." Dave said as he stood next to Marty.

"Dude what's with all the black. I don't think your gonna inspire anyone with this outfit." Marty asked getting a closer look at Dave's new outfit.

"Kickass inspired people, but kickass is dead, remember?" Dave said sadly. "This new hero is a man of justice, pure and simple, no flashy picture, no huge public fan club. Just me and my message."

"Deep dude. So what's this new hero about?"

"Justice. Like I said, he's going to exist purely to make sure that everybody has justice. He'll hunt down anyone who's willing to harm others simply for there amusement. He'll be the blade that I use to carve a path to Chris." Dave growled with a bit of malice.

"Dude, I'm all for setting Chris on fire and watching him burn, but isn't this a bit much?" Marty asked, obvious concern in his voice.

"Everyone thinks Kickass vanished...just like Hit Girl," Dave said, with a little sadness in his voice. "Chris is still out there, The motherfucker is out there. And someone has to stop him, but before that, I'm going to use this outfit to put the fear of god into that little shit." Dave finished, angrily.

"Okay man I get it, like I said, I'm fine with vengeance, Chris needs to die. So are we going to bring in anyone else?" Marty said, his loyalty to his best friend evident in his tone.

"No. Like I told you a few days ago. If you weren't already involved I wouldn't have told you either," Dave stated but quickly backpedaled as he saw the hurt on his friends face, "This is about my revenge, Marty. You're my best friend, I wouldn't want you to get hurt while involved with my personal vendetta."

"Okay I get it. Look I'll lay back if that will make you feel better, but you gotta keep me in the loop. Okay?" Marty replied.

Dave smiled, he often forgot that Marty wasn't Mindy. If he'd told Mindy that he didn't want her involved because she could get hurt, she would have kicked him in the balls and helped anyway. Marty knew his limits and he accepted them, he wanted to help but didn't want to be in the way at the same time. "Its a deal. Thanks man." Dave said as he clasped hands with Marty.

"Okay well." Marty began with a grin. "What this new bad-ass's name?"

Dave looked up at the sky. "I don't know." He sighed. "Haven't been able to come up with anything good yet."

"Well you're still a hero, just an anti-hero now. Lets brainstorm. Okay here are a few, Night blade."

"Seriously." Dave whined.

"Um Shadow stalker!"

"That's just creepy. Sounds to much like night-stalker."

"Crap you're right, um, The Angel of Vengeance." Marty stated with a grin.

"That's the literal way to go I guess." Dave mused.

"Okay, okay, okay. THE FALLEN!" Marty shouts.

"Actually. That's pretty bad-ass." Dave stated with enthusiasm.

"Cool! The Fallen, a once hopeful hero, who finally got hit right in the balls by reality, now, takes up the sword for those who can't defend themselves, he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector..." Marty shouted dramatically.

"That's an eye opener." Dave laughs. "I have become the dark knight."

"... He was the Hero, New York deserved, but after everything that's happened, he has to become the one that it needs." Marty finished, doing his best Jim Gordon impression.

"You can stop anytime." Dave laughed to his friend.

"Dude, face it, you've gone from the shit that was Kickass's origin story, to something on the same level as batman or superman, or hell, even Hit Girl." Marty Chided.

Dave just laughed at that. "So, right here, right now, Battle guy is the one to witness the birth of "The Fallen". You should feel honored."

"So what are you gonna do first, mister Fallen." Marty asks in a very Alfred like impression.

"I was thinking of sending a message to Chris." Dave stated as he turned to leave.

"I look forward to seeing it... You are The Fallen now, a sword for all those that had died in the name of justice." Marty shouted to Dave as he walked out of the alley.

* * *

- The next day

"Hey Mindy, have you seen this?" one of her classmates asked Mindy as she entered the school.

"Seen what?" Mindy asked, as her classmate and squad mate on the dance team, approached.

"This." The girl said, as she handed Mindy, her phone. "Click play on the video."

"Okay so what am I looking at." Mindy asked as she started the video. The video depicts a couple, walking down the street, the video is obviously taken from a security camera outside some building. The couple consisted of a young scrawny looking chick and a scrawny looking dude, "probably stoners", Mindy thought to herself as the couple passed the corner the camera was sitting at. The camera was at the entrance to the alley next to the building, and as the couple passed the alley, something drew there attention, and soon five guys walked out of the alley and surrounded the couple.

"Keep watching." Her classmate whispered as one of the men from the alley revealed a pipe in his hand and hit the stoner dude in the face with it.

"Fuck." Mindy growled as she watched, the stoner guy went down and his woman dropped to his side to check on him. Right as the thug with the pipe drew back for another swing his attention gets drawn to something in the alley behind them. As the thugs and couple look down the alley a hooded figure in a big ass trench-coat walked out of the alley with two swords drawn. Mindy couldn't help but admire the swords obviously they were stainless steel. They were probably ninja swords from a movie or something. The thugs said something to trench-coat, then trench-coat just goes postal on the nearest guy lashing out with those swords. Mindy noticed the he obviously had some skill with those blade, he's definitely not an amateur.

"Damn." The girl next to her says as trench-coat cuts the first guys hand off. The guy with the pipe take this opportunity to take a swing at trench-coat, his strike lands right on trench-coats ribs, but the astounding thing is that trench-coat barely flinches even though the pipe wielding motherfucker is a decent size. Its at this point that trench-coat takes one sword and rams into the hand less dudes throat, and uses the other to attack, pipe guy. The whole time the couple is cheering on their protector while the other three thugs are cringing at their dead buddy. Trench-coat pulls his sword from the first guy and focuses his attention on pipe guy. Mindy is surprised by the skill of trench-coat, all it take is two strikes, one knocks the pipe away, the other cuts the guys belly open. Its at this point the other three thugs run for there fucking lives, as trench-coat wipes his swords on the pipe thug as his guts spill out. The couple stands and probably thanks trench-coat, as they run away too. Trench-coat just stands there for a second before vanishing down the alley again.

"That's crazy isn't it?' The girl asked as she took her phone back.

"I think I'm in love." Mindy giggled to herself as she replays the scene in her head. "Damn." she thought. "Now I really want to dust off the cape."

"What's up?" Mindy heard, as she turned to see Dave walking into school.

"Dude, have you seen this video?" Mindy's squad-mate asked Dave.

"You guys talking about The Fallen." Dave asks with a smile.

"The Fallen?" Mindy asked giving Dave a look.

"Yeah that's what Battle Guy said his name was, look." Dave said as he took out his phone, opened a web page and handed it to her.

Mindy looked at page, It was one of the many hero websites that had started popping up all over since Dave became Kickass. There was a message on one of the forums, Mindy read it aloud to her squad-mate and Dave. "Too many have died for me to do nothing, I have come to your city to gain justice for all those that have perished in it's pursuit. All my actions from this day, till my last, will be for the fallen." Mindy scrolled down and found another post from a hero called Battle Guy who said that he met the hooded man and learned that he called himself The Fallen.

"This hero shit is always going to be so damn cool." Mindy's squad-mate says as she walks off.

"So, this guy legit?" Mindy asked, as she handed Dave's phone back to him.

"How would I know?" Dave asked as the two started to walk to the Cafeteria.

"Well you obviously get out more than me." Mindy stated blandly.

"What? Oh I guess I never did tell you." Dave started as Mindy stared at him. "I quit the hero thing after my dad took the fall for me."

"What?!" Mindy asked "Why didn't you tell me you quit?"

"Well... no offense but hero business is left to hero's."

Mindy elbowed him in the ribs at that. "I'm more of a hero than 99% of the assholes in capes out there."

"You mean you used to be more of a hero." Dave quipped.

"Ass." Mindy pouted as they walked. "So you don't know anything about this new guy?"

"Nope. Why are you so curious about him?" Dave asked with a sheepish grin. "You falling for him."

"Oh yeah right, the guy takes down two punks, and you think he's worth my attention?" Mindy asked, her cheeks slightly red.

"eight, actually." Dave said, with a smile.

"What? Were did the other six come from?" Mindy asked curiously.

"Well some guy said that a cloaked figure broke up a robbery and killed two of the guys involved. Then another guy posted that he was walking his dog and saw a known drug pusher getting the shit beaten out of him by this dude in a trench-coat. And finally someone heard what sounded like a woman getting raped in the alley outside there apartment and called the cops, when they got there, there was a crying woman and three dead dudes, she says that a guy in a big coat saved her." Dave stated as he pointed to posts on the website.

"This guy's been busy." Mindy stated, taking stock of the list of accomplishment for the night. "Does hearing about any of this ever make you wanna go back out there?"

Dave stopped and looked at Mindy, who was giving him this look that said, "Come on, I'm sure we could beat this guys record, but you have to convince me."

Dave stared at her for a second processing her question then, gave a dorky smile and said "Nope." he laughed as he saw the disappointment on her face. "Besides, if we were to go back out there, I'd be the one holding your hand through the night. I mean it's been two and a half months since you quit. Your probably rusty."

"Asshole." She said as she punched him in the gut. She knew he was right, even though she tried to keep in shape she couldn't really train because of Marcus watching over her like a hawk. Though Mindy had to wonder, if Dave asked her again, would she be able to keep her promise to Marcus? She tried to be normal but that didn't work. Mindy was vaguely aware of the fact that she was entering a rut that consisted of school, dance, Marcus, Homework, sleep, repeat.

"Later" Dave said, as he walked into his class. Mindy wandered toward her class as she decided to try to get Dave to take up the cape again. Mindy remembered her promise, but she was loosing her mind, and now there was The Motherfucker running around killing cops and you've got this new cool hero The Fallen out there stealing their thunder. It was about time for Hit Girl and Kickass to make a return.

* * *

_ Well let me know what you guys thinks, oh and yes I watch a lot of movies._


	2. Chapter 2

_K so I'm just gonna say it, I don't have a job, I don't go to school and I pretty much have no life. So as long as you guys sustain me through reviews I will keep on typing as much as I can. Anyway let me know what you think, and I always enjoy a good critic so don't feel shy, tell me what you like and don't like and your overall thought. You'll quickly learn that I love reading reviews. Anyway lets begin._

_**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**_

Chapter 2

Mindy couldn't believe it. The guy had a bulletproof head! It blew her mind when she saw the video, two guys jumped this lady and a few seconds later, The Fallen pimped outta the shadows like Batman and proceeded to go to town on their asses. He was much more restrained than when he started a week ago, he didn't just walk out and kill your ass, though it didn't take much to set him off. He punched one of the guys right in the face, Mindy was sure that he broke his nose, as the first punk fell to the ground the other pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot The Fallen in the head. Mindy was left breathless when she watched that scene, she was sure that her new favorite hero had been killed, but The Fallen simply cracked his neck, shook his head, and drew his swords. The thug that shot him just stared in fear, he was probably in shock, it's not often, you shoot someone in the head and they just, shrug it off. The punk didn't get to stare for long, because The Fallen performed a roundhouse kick, that knocked the guy's gun away, then he jammed his sword into the guys belly, Mindy could see it sticking out the other side. Leaving one of his swords in the first guy The Fallen turned to deal with the other punk with the broken nose who was just cowering on the ground.

Mindy had to giggle at how cooperative the guy with the broken nose was after his buddy got impaled with a sword and was left bleeding a few feet away. The Fallen simply stood over him and made a gesture with his hands that told him to "roll over" The thug did so without thinking, all he did for the rest of the video was tremble as The Fallen put zip cuffs on his hands and went to check on the woman. She probably thanked him and then she ran off, as The Fallen pulled out a phone and dialed 911. He then retrieved his sword from the body of the other thug and ran off. Afterwards the video just ends.

As the video ends Mindy just stared at her phone with an amused smirk.

* * *

- a few minutes later-

"A bulletproof head, can you fucking believe that?" She beamed, as her and Dave walked to their first class.

"You gotta wonder how he came up with it." Dave mused, he had to stop himself from sounding to prideful.

"Yeah, it must be like a Kevlar weave over some sort of shock absorbent material." Mindy chirped as they walked along. "This guy must be loaded, I mean seriously, daddy and I looked for almost a year to find bulletproof headgear, that wasn't awkward or clumsy like a helmet."

"Maybe that's what he needs the huge hood for." Dave laughs. "To hide his weird looking helmet."

"I've also gotta guess that he gets really hot in that thing." Mindy smiled. "I mean he obviously has a bulletproof vest on, plus what ever he has on, under that. Then he has a shirt over the vest, he has thick baggy pants, thick boots and gloves. Plus, some weird armor concoction on his head with balaclava and a hood over that."

"Yeah I guess your right." Dave said, he tried his hardest not to laugh at how right she was. That outfit made him look intimidating but it also was hot as hell. Dave was glad that thanksgiving was only a few days away and winter would soon follow it.

"So what are you and Marcus doing for thanksgiving?" Dave asked with a bit of merry.

"Don't know. Probably the same things we do each thanksgiving, meet the relatives, eat food, watch football." Mindy mused. "I kinda wish thanksgiving had some more excitement to it, you know?"

"What do you mean?" Dave quipped with a smile.

"Well it's just that Christmas is awesome, Halloween is awesome, hell, even St. Patrick's day is awesome. Thanksgiving is just so bland in comparison." Mindy finished with a sigh.

"Yeah well, it may be bland, but I'll take the five day weekend, any time." Dave replied.

"Yeah, I guess." Mindy continued. "So you know what your classes are going to be next quarter?"

"Um Geometry, sociology, psychology and P.E." Dave stated. As they arrived at Dave's class.

"Wait, P.E., with Mr. Fredricks." Mindy asked hopefully.

"Yep. You got the same class as me?" Dave stated as she started to grin.

"Damn right I do. Cool, so now that I share a class with you, I can see for myself what makes Dave Lizewski, such a unnoticeable pile of sludge." Mindy replied with glee.

"Well then, I look forward to you outshining me in physical activity. Again." Dave finished with a sigh as her turned to enter his classroom.

"Bye." She said as she turned to walk to her class.

* * *

-one week later-

It was the first day back to school after the thanksgiving holiday, nothing much happened for Mindy, pretty much what she guessed would happen, happened. However over the long weekend The Fallen got in a lot of work, twenty-five guys arrested, and eighteen killed because of this guy. Mindy had been trying to keep Dave interested in the superhero life because she wanted him to put on the costume and go back out with her. So far he seemed interested, but she could tell he still wasn't going to go for it. She didn't see Dave at all over the weekend but did call him a few times, one time when it was a little later then usual and she called him he sounded out of breath, and she thought she heard whimpering or moaning in the background. She didn't know what to make of that, and when she told one of her dance team, squad-mates, she guessed that Mindy had caught him masturbating. That sure set Mindy's cheeks aflame, she was so glad that the whole conversation with her squad-mate was through text, because Mindy found herself stuttering and unable to focus. No matter what she did, she couldn't get the thought of Dave masturbating in his room, hearing the phone ring, picking it up and talking to her while whacking off, out of her head. Thinking back, it was funny that the one thing that got her mind off of that, was the fact that, for a few weeks now Dave had been wearing really baggy clothes at school.

"I gotta ask him about the clothes when I see him." She thought as she walked to her last class, Gym. She hadn't seen Dave all day, only texted him a few times so she didn't know if he had the baggy clothes on or not, but sure enough, when she walked into the gym and saw him leaning against the wall, he was wearing all baggy clothes. "Hey Dave, what's up?"

"Oh hey, nothing. What up with you?" Dave replied

"Nothing much, I just noticed that you've been wearing baggy clothes for the last few weeks and its been kinda warm out, so..." She trailed off waiting for a reply.

Dave had a reply to that question already set up "Well you see even after you hung up the cape I was still out there, so, I kept training, and kinda got buff so I gotta wear the baggy clothes so no one notices that I'm built like a jock."

"Really Dave? For someone to notice that they would have to check you out. When was the last time that happened?" Mindy asked with a grin.

"Oh well, there was that twenty-four year old, Latina chick, with the huge..." Dave started.

"Okay. Shut up. Don't need to know." Mindy stated, throwing her hands up in defeat as she leaned on the wall next to him.

* * *

-the next day-

Turned out that Marty had the same gym class too. Yesterday they spent the class going over the equipment and stuff they would be using, as well as the class guidelines and shit like that. It was the next day that really got Mindy's blood pumping because they were going to play kickball and Dave was forced to take his sweatshirt off, so that he could get the damn team shirt things that gyms have, to fit.

When he took the sweatshirt off, her eyes, (and pretty much every girls in the room.) were drawn to the chiseled hills of iron that were his abs. Mindy couldn't believe it, Dave really wasn't kidding when he said that he kept working out after she quit. She only got a good look at them for a few seconds as the shirt underneath his sweatshirt was lifted, but that was enough to get the butterflies going in her stomach. After he got the sweatshirt off and put the blue team over shirt on, she was able to focus enough to notice that he was pretty ripped. Dave's arms were huge, Mindy was sure that Dave had been continuing his workout even after hanging up the costume. Mindy could feel the tingling sensation in her belly as she stared at Dave, examining every little detail from afar "Damn." She heard Marty say as he walked up next to her and got a good look at Dave.

"Damn." Marty repeated at Dave walked up to them. "Dude, who the hell are you and what did you do with Dave?"

"I ate him." Dave replied with his usual dorkish grin.

"Dude, you got buff." Marty stated

"So, what? I like to keep strong." Dave replied sheepishly, not losing his grin.

"Man, the jocks are looking at you and going, Damn." Marty stated with a laugh.

"He was right." Mindy thought to herself as she eyed his torso. She noticed how tight the shirt and over shirt were across his chest, he definitely had the body of an athlete, and she soon realized that Dave had also spent a lot of time working on his speed to. Whenever he kicked the ball he was to first base in a flash. Mindy could only guess at how intimidating he looked to others. Dave was always tall, but he was tall and lanky, now he was tall and buff. More than once Mindy lost her focus on the game and just stared at him. She was lucky that there was no skill to this game, or people might have caught on. She had no idea why she couldn't stop looking at him, and it didn't help when two girls walked by after class and said. "Wipe the drool from your chin before you leave."

* * *

-after school-

"What the hell is wrong with me. Dammit, why cant I focus?" she asked herself as she waited for Marcus to pick her up. "Okay, I'm just really admiring Dave's body because he looks like he could throw on the costume and run right out the door without a moments notice." She knew if she wanted to get back onto the streets, she would need to start training again. As Marcus pulled up, she was struck with an idea that would help her get back into costume.

As they drove along Marcus could tell that something was off with Mindy, she looked like she wanted to ask him something, and he knew that meant trouble.

"Marcus." Mindy began. "You know I've been trying really hard to be normal, right?"

"Right." he stated not liking where this was going.

"..and you know that I'd never break my promise to you?"

"Mindy..." He stopped and turned to look at her "You didn't?"

"No." Mindy stated with conviction. "But Marcus... It's all I can think about now. I tried so hard to be normal, and it sucks, I find absolutely no joy in being normal."

"Mindy. We talked about this. You have to stick it out. Being normal, isn't hard, you just go with the flow."

"Yeah well I tried, and the flow is controlled by idiots and assholes." Mindy stated with some venom.

"Language young lady, and come on, it's only been a few months. You just have to stick it out and I promise it will get easier." Marcus replied with a bit of sympathy.

"Marcus!" Mindy laughed. "I'm losing my mind just doing the same damn thing every day. My life doesn't mean anything right now. I'm stuck in the same routine and it's driving me crazy. I don't think I can take much more."

"Mindy, you know I can't let you go back out there." Marcus explained.

"Marcus. You know that I love you, but if we're being honest with ourselves, I stay with you because I want too, not because some piece of paper says that I have to, and most certainly not because I need you to take care of me." Mindy stated plainly trying to get her point across without hurting him.

"There is nothing that's stopping me from walking out the front door and being a superhero, full time." Mindy continued.

"I'd be there to stop you." Marcus stated seriously.

Mindy just cocked an eyebrow and stared at him. They both knew who would win in a fight, Marcus was trying to hedge his bet that Mindy wouldn't hurt him, but he knew she was right. Mindy had no fear of the outside world, he knew she could easily fend for herself. But even so, Marcus still didn't want her out there, but he was losing ground in this fight.

Seeing Marcus begin to waiver, Mindy took this opportunity to make her move. "Marcus, what if I swore to you that I'd never go out alone?"

"What?" Marcus asked as they pulled into their driveway.

"What if I promised, I'd never go out by myself, that I would always have a partner or even a group." Mindy continued.

"Mindy, no..." Marcus began but then stopped. She was right, if she wanted to, she could leave and survive without him, the only thing keeping her here was that she loved him, and the second her need to be a hero surpassed her love for him, she'd be gone. If he went along with her idea, at the very least, he would know that she was safe, and at least she'd be with someone else on the streets.

Marcus let out a long sigh, before beginning. "Look, in no way do I endorse this, but if you promise to call before you leave and when you get home, if you promise you will always have a partner out their to watch your back, and if you promise that this doesn't interfere with your school work. Then I guess we can see how this goes."

Mindy's face lit up, but before she could say anything Marcus held his hands up. "Before you get all excited, you need to find that partner, and I'm treating this like an extracurricular activity, if you start to miss classes or get bad grades I'm pulling you off the streets until you correct the problem, and if I find out that your out, without a partner, I'm pulling you off the streets for good, and I'll tell the whole damn city who you are and have them slap an ankle bracelet on you, Got it?"

"Got it!" she yelled joyously as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Marcus just sighed and hugged her back. He was sure that he wasn't going to like where this train of events was headed.

* * *

-that night-

Mindy had tried to call Dave, but she kept getting his voice-mail. So she made the decision to try a different tactic. She knew it wouldn't be easy to get Dave to come back out onto the streets, but she thought that he might be more willing if she could get a third person to join the group, and she knew exactly which ass kicker she wanted for her come back tour, The Fallen.

Surprisingly, the guy wasn't hard to find if you knew where to look, he stayed mostly to the back alleys in Brooklyn and Queens. So it wasn't hard to track him down, she just had to follow the trail of broken muggers and police sirens. It was about midnight when Mindy finally saw him. She spotted two guys casing a small store, when out of the shadows came The Fallen. God, it always gave her shivers to say his name, the guy was just to damn cool, she hoped he'd want to team up with Hit Girl and Kickass. As he approached the two guys, Mindy snuck out of the shadows she was hiding in, and hid behind a car that was parked next to the store, she was only a few feet away from the two would-be robbers. The men noticed The Fallen when he was about ten feet away from them. It was then that she heard him speak for the first time. "Hey fellas, what seems to be the problem?"

His voice was low and raspy he was obviously throwing it, because he sounded kinda like a mix between Clint Eastwood, and Christian Bale from The Dark Knight. What was funny is that even though his voice was low and obviously meant to be threatening, he sounded laid back, like he was just out for a stroll and noticed them.

"Hey man... what's up?" one of the guys said, trying to act cool.

"Nothing much fellas, I noticed, you two have been wandering around this place for like ten minutes. So, what are you up too?" The Fallen asked, Mindy couldn't help but smile.

"Oh... my buddy and I were thinking of purchasing this fine establishment, we just stopped by to check it out." The second guy spoke up.

"Really... At 12:30 at night?" The Fallen inquired.

"Um... yeah we were in the area, and just thought we'd take the time to stop and check it out." The second guy continued.

"Smooth," Mindy thought, this guy was obviously the brains of their operation.

"Oh, well, okay guys. It just looked to me like you were casing this place." The Fallen said in a rather upbeat tone.

"No, no, no, we're just saving time you know, no distractions at night, so um, yeah." The the first guy finally spoke up. Mindy guessed that he'd finally picked up on his buddies story.

"Well that's nice guys. So, what does this place sell?" The Fallen asked calmly.

The second guy made a quick glance to the store sign, all it said was "WILLIE'S".

"It's a bar" the first guy spoke up.

"Oh really. Well that's cool, maybe I'll stop by sometime when I'm not cutting the dicks off rapists, or disemboweling muggers, or snapping the knuckles off thieves." The Fallen inquired with a small laugh.

The first guy hung his head while the second guy just looked at the ground and said "Can you just let us go to jail without the beating?"

"Why? You've done nothing wrong." The Fallen Chided. "I'm simply boasting about my ability to casually shatter a thief's kneecap with my boot."

Both the thieves looked at each other and winced a little.

"Look guys. Lets cut the crap. I know what you were doing here, you know what you are doing here. So, the only question is, what am I going to do about it. I can do one of two things, I can let you walk away with your assurance that I'll never find you out on these streets again, or I can kill you. Pick one." The Fallen stated as he began to slowly reach for his swords.

"Okay! Were outta here, you wont ever see us again, You have my word." The second guy stammered as he picked up his buddy and ran off.

The Fallen stood there for a second, before turning and walking off towards a back alley, That's when Mindy made her move.

"Smooth work, scaring off those punks." She praised as she stepped out behind him.

He turned to look at her. And she finally got a good look at him. The guy was big and with the coat and body armor on underneath his shirt, he looked positively enormous.

"So the beautiful and talented Hit Girl, finally returns to the superhero scene." He spoke. "So, you were watching me back there?"

"You should stick to harassing crooks, trying to flirt with that voice is just creepy." Mindy said with a smile.

"Yeah well, I guess it is meant more for putting the fear of death into the hearts of criminals, then it is to caress the ear of a young lady." He laughed as he motioned for her to follow him into a nearby alley.

"So Hit Girl, what is it I can do for you this night?" He asked, as they reached the center of the alley.

"I'm looking to return to the scene, but I've been outta the game for a while. I'm looking for a partner to watch my back while I get acclimated. You interested?" Mindy asked keeping her air of authority.

"A partner? Sounds interesting. What would you want from me?" He asked, with all his head gear Mindy had absolutely no way of reading his face.

"I just need someone I can trust, someone who'll watch my back, and I can watch theirs. Not to mention, with two people we could handle bigger operations."

"Yes, your right. You were one of the two that took down the D'Amico gang, so I guess you've got the skills, but how do I know I can trust you? You may be a big hero in the cities eyes, but I just got here, and I don't know you."

Mindy smiled, she was glad that he wasn't a dork like Dave, This guy had the right amount of suspicion of a young girl asking to partner up. She could tell he was smart, he had experience, probably an ex-cop.

"Out here you gotta trust the person at your back, you have to trust that they've got your best interests at heart, not to mention the fact that out here it's them or us."

"Truer words have never been said." He laughed "Alright Hit Girl, let's team up. Just one thing though..." He said as they started down the alley.

"What is that?" She asked eying him.

"The Motherfucker..." He began, Mindy could feel the malice in his voice. "I'm going to murder that son of a bitch."

* * *

_One day, one damn day and I right another chapter what is wrong with me? oh well chapter 2 up. I try hard to catch my mistake but let me know if I miss any. drop me a review. and depending on whether or not I get carpel tunnel, I might have another chapter up tomorrow or even tonight! God what is wrong with me._


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay so. This will be my first time ever doing 3 chapters in one day. Thank you for pointing out the problem with my "theres" I will try to fix it. Otherwise please review, it really does mean a lot, a single review is enough to get me to write another chapter. More reviews is enough for me to write all day. Hearing what you guys have to say means the world to me so let me know what you think and enjoy._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 3

If there was one thing that Mindy could say about The Fallen, It's that he was one vicious son of a bitch. The guy was calm, cool, and collected, until the bad guys switched to deadly force, (basically if they drew a weapon) then he became a killing machine. He took strikes from pipes and crowbars like they were nothing, the guy didn't even flinch if some asshole drew a knife or a gun, he'd just go to town on their asses. Mindy, quickly found out that the videos online did not do him justice. Not only was he more vicious in person, but he was, surprisingly, much faster than you'd think. With all that gear on him you'd think it would slow him down. Mindy asked him about it after they finished off an attempted rapist. He simply replied that he tried to parkour in the costume everyday so that he'd be used to it.

"Seriously" Hit Girl asked as they walked down an alley. "You're going to have to show me that, one of these days."

The Fallen simply laughed before stating. "When I said 'tried' I didn't mean it in the sense that I don't have the time to, I meant it in the sense, that I'm still unable to."

Hit Girl laughed at that. She and The Fallen were out on their third patrol since they met, and she was still learning about him. The guy was just as cool as she had thought he would be, apparently, he was a street thug, down in Chicago, until his father was killed by the mob, after the funeral he decided to take up the sword and become The Fallen. Even though she felt bad for him a part of her couldn't escape the thought that he had one sweet origin story.

Mindy enjoyed her time with The Fallen, even if he was a little weird, she felt comfortable around him, she didn't get why that was, she just did, each day she felt she trusted him more and more, if felt like her relationship with Dave, except that she'd actually seen Dave's face. That was another thing that she didn't get. When she told Dave that she was back out on the streets as Hit Girl, he seemed happy, but for some reason he still told her that Kickass wouldn't be joining them.

"So, I forgot to ask, any luck with getting that third guy?" The Fallen asked casually as they found themselves in another alley.

"No luck. I don't blame him, I mean, I did kinda blow him off when he wanted me out here. I think he might be just a little mad." Hit Girl sighed, it was moment before it hit her that she just shared something personal about herself. That was happening more and more, Mindy could not, for the life of her, figure out why she trusted this guy.

"Maybe he's just trying to move on with his life." The Fallen offered to her.

"Yeah, he said that he had college to think about, and a job, and a lot of other stupid crap like that." Hit Girl whined in reply.

"Those who are born normal, have normal problems." He stated as they reached Hit Girl's motorcycle.

"Yeah I guess. You need a ride?" She asked as she got on.

"No, I'm fine, I'll just make my way home from here." He replied as he turned to leave. "This friend, you and he close?" He asked without turning back.

"Maybe. Why?" She replied as she started the motorcycle.

"No reason. You just seem to be close... A word of advice." He stated as he turned back to look at her. "If you think theirs a problem, fix it. Even if he doesn't think so. If you're close to someone, you should do everything you can to stay close."

"Thanks. I might just do that." She said with a smile. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yup." He replied, and with that Hit Girl sped off towards home.

The two had set up a schedule of meeting at 8:30 and working till 1:00 am, that way they could get home and sleep before the day started.

Mindy loved being back out on the streets, it filled her with a euphoria that she'd never known, and it kept her mind off of Dave's ripped bod, which found it's way into her head more ofter that she'd like.

She seriously didn't know why she kept thinking about him, she kept imagining him wrapping his arms around her and holding her, and whenever these thoughts came into her head she felt the butterflies return to her stomach. The worst part is that no one could help her with this problem, she tried to ask one of her squad-mates and she said that Mindy was just horny. She didn't know how to reply to that statement. Her first though was, come on, it's Dave, "Dave". But still she couldn't help but notice he seemed to be getting stronger.

Everyday at gym he was working out or playing a game with others, always doing something, always moving, he acted a lot like she did, she believed that each physical activity should be done with 110% effort and no less. It seemed like Dave had adopted that mantra as well.

As she drove, she started to think about what had happened between her and Dave. Ever since his dad was arrested for being Kickass, Dave seemed to force everything. When he would talk to her, he answered quickly or forced humor, she had begun thinking that he was a little mad at her. She really didn't blame him, I mean, she blew him off when he called about his dad being arrested, and she did kinda get him and his girlfriend broken up, a little while back. "Okay, maybe he has a lot to be mad at me for." Mindy thought as she pulled into her little garage and climbed through the window into her room.

Mindy through off her costume and got ready for bed, as she was finishing she heard Marcus come home, "he was probably working late today." She decided she needed to talk to someone about Dave.

So she ran down to meet him "Hey, Marcus." she said happily as she saw him.

"Hey, baby girl." He replied, with a sigh, as he sat down on the couch. "You just get home?"

"Yeah Marcus." She stated with a look. "Marcus, I need to talk to you about something important."

Marcus, for only a split second, had a look of, my god, before stating. "Whats the matter?"

"You know my friend, Dave." she started, but stopped when she noticed the horrified look cross his face. "No it's nothing bad, it's just, I think he's mad at me."

"What do you mean?" Marcus replied curiously.

"Well, it's just that, a while back I kind of blew him off a few times and one of those times, I think I might have really hurt his feelings." She said as she sat down next to Marcus.

"Okay, so does he seem like he's mad at you? Has he said that he is?"

"No. In fact, he's been really nice to me since I started talking to him again, it's just..." Mindy trailed off.

"You think he might be hiding what he's really feeling?" Marcus asked, to which Mindy simply nodded. "Well, what makes you think he's hiding anything?"

"It's just that he... it feels like he's forcing himself to hang around me in school. I'm noticing it more and more, he keeps downplaying everything with humor, and he doesn't seem to wanna hang out. Don't get me wrong, it's not like he's making me feel bad or anything, it's just that it feels like we're only friends at school now. I mean, before you grounded me, I used to go over to his house all the time, he hasn't invited me over once, in the last few weeks. Its just stuff like that." Mindy finished, Marcus could tell that she was obviously concerned by this. Marcus also felt that he too should be taking this seriously as well. He was vaguely aware that this boy was her only connection to a normal life.

"Look, Mindy, maybe you should just talk to him, I mean your capable of that right, talk?" Marcus explained. "He's a guy, right? Guys tend to try and bottle up their emotions, it takes a little effort to coax the emotions out. If you really care about your friend, then find out whats bugging him, figure out if its a problem that can be fixed." Marcus finished with a smile.

"Thanks Marcus." Mindy replied as she stood to leave.

"Anytime baby girl, anytime."

* * *

-the next day-

The day went by without anything major happening, Mindy was waiting for gym class, to talk to Dave, since their class was just jogging today. She found him hanging with Marty in the corner of the gym, it was perfect for her to talk to him.

"Hey Dave." She said as she walked up to them.

"Hey Mindy." He stated with that same forced, friendly tone.

"Dave, can I talk to you in private?" she asked.

Dave looked over at Marty with a look that said "can you give us a second?" Marty just nodded and wandered off.

"Okay, we're alone, what up?" Dave asked.

Mindy took a deep breath before asking in a nervous tone. "We're cool, right? I mean, theirs nothing wrong, right?"

"Sure. Everything's fine, why?" He replied with a shrug.

"Well, it's just that I've noticed that, you seem to be acting weird around me." She stated, analyzing him.

"I don't know what your talking about, how have I been acting 'weird'?" he said with air quotes.

"You just seem like your trying really hard to be civil around me. It feels like your bottling something up." She stated with a little worry.

"I really have no idea what your talking about." He replied plainly.

"Look you don't need to hide it, I can tell somethings bothering you. So come on, if its not me than you've got no reason not to tell me." She stated with conviction.

"Look Mindy, I guess I'm just stressed out because of school and work and stuff." He stated with another shrug.

"Bullshit Dave!" Mindy stated, starting to get angry "You weren't stressed when you were going to school and being a hero. Theirs no way that school or a job could be stressing you out. So just tell me!"

"Mindy..." He started with a sigh.

"Is it because of I got you in trouble with Katie?" she spoke in a low angry tone.

"No." he replied.

"Did I hurt your feelings when I blew you off, all those times you tried to get me to put the costume back on?"

"No." he said with a shrug

"Is it because I wasn't there when your dad got arrested." She asked, as she mentioned his dad she saw something flicker across his face, is was like he almost winced. She knew she'd guessed right.

"No, that's not it either." He said with another shrug but he couldn't hide the hurt in his voice.

"Come on Dave, I know that's whats bothering you. Just do whatever you have too, to forgive me for that." She stated in a very matter of fact sounding voice. "Just tell me what you need me to do? Do you want an apology. Okay, I'm sorry Dave. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you when your dad got arrested. Okay, I'm sorry. I'll go apologize to him too, if I need to." Mindy could tell that she had said something that struck a cord, Dave just stared at her almost in a daze.

"...Look, before my dad got arrested I told him some things, things you just don't say to your dad." He started with a look of pain. "Then he goes, and takes the fall for being Kickass. While he was in jail, he made me promise to never put that costume on again. So I did, I promised him, that's why I can't go back out there. That's why I'm done with Kickass."

He continued with a little venom. "It has nothing to do with the fact that you told me, you couldn't help me. Okay, so what if I had to deal with it myself. You couldn't help. That's what you told me. You! Couldn't! Help! Me!" Dave continued emphasizing each word. "So I dealt with it on my own."

"Dave... I'm sorry." Mindy stated, meaning it this time.

"Don't be." Dave stated with a weary shrug. "I'm not mad at you."

"Why not?" She asked looking at him sadly.

"I don't know, maybe I'm still vaguely aware of the fact that I'm the only friend you have." He said as the teacher called everyone over for role call. "If I'm mad at you then you'll have no one."

"Dave." Mindy whined as a few tears flowed from her eyes. She watched as Dave walked toward the others. She had never felt so much like shit before. Mindy never had any friends before Dave, she couldn't believe what he just said. The only reason he wasn't mad at her was that he was her only friend.

Mindy was depressed for the rest of class. She was deep in thought as her class just jogged around the gym the whole time. Dave also seemed to be deep in thought as well.

* * *

- later-

That night, Mindy stayed home, she spent most of the after school hours sitting on the couch, deep in thought. It was around midnight when her cell phone started to ring. She looked at the number, it was Dave. She quickly mashed the answer button. "Hello!"

"Who am I speaking to?" Came a very familiar voice from the other side, but it wasn't Dave's

"Is this The Fallen?" Mindy asked as she checked the number.

"... Yes, how did you know?" Came The Fallen's raspy voice.

"This is Hi... Wait why are you calling from Dave's phone?"

"Ma'am do you know a guy with a brown bushy hair, and glasses." He asked.

"Yes, Why..." She stopped, as a horrified thought passed through her head. "Is Dave okay?"

"The young man who owns this phone told me to call this number, he says you live nearby, he was adamant about me not calling the cops." The Fallen spoke plainly.

"What Happened!?" Mindy asked again.

"Young lady, your friend was beaten by some thugs, he's bleeding, but conscious, he's really adamant about me not calling 911. I think you should get over here. We're at the corner 5th and maple."

Mindy was out the door and on her motorcycle in a second. That address was only a block or two away. A million thoughts were flying through her head as she drove, the trip felt to her, like an eternity, but in reality she was there in like a minute. As she pulled up to the corner she saw Dave leaning against a fence, a decent amount of blood around him and some cuts and bruises on his body, but other than that, he looked fine to her. A lot of the worry slipped away from her as she remembered, how tough Dave was, to those that didn't know about his lack of feeling in most of his body, his wounds would look, quite painful.

As Mindy walked up to him she saw The Fallen standing next to Dave as she approached he handed Dave his phone back and walked towards Mindy. As he passed her, he stopped and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him for a second, before realizing that he probably recognized her bike. She smiled at him as he removed his hand and kept walking.

"Damn Dave. What happened?" She asked as she stood next to him and inspected his wounds, they weren't as bad as she thought.

"I was riding my bike over here, thinking of a way to apologize for earlier. I almost crashed a few times, I was so deep in thought. So I decided to walk and when I got to about here, four guys jumped me. They wanted my bike and money." He stated with a sigh. "I was lucky that guy showed up when he did."

"Yeah, you were." Mindy replied with a smile. "Come on I've got some bandages back at my house."

Mindy led Dave to her motorcycle and drove him to her house. She helped him through the front door and led him to the kitchen, where she told him to lose the shirt as she wandered into the bathroom to grab the first aid kit.

"So Dave..." She started. "You came all the way out here to apologize?"

"Well yeah." He replied as she returned and started to clean his wounds. He had a few cuts and some bumps and bruises but other than that, he was fine, "The Fallen must have been really close when all this started," she thought to herself.

"This couldn't have waited till tomorrow." She said with a smile.

"No... I was sure that the whole apology would lose some of its power if I waited to long." He replied sheepishly.

"God, your a dork." she said with a laugh. "Thanks for coming out here to apologize Dave. It means a lot."

"I thought it would. I gotta wonder though. Does getting beaten up, make this apology more heartfelt?" He mused to himself.

"So..." She chirps "Let's hear it."

"Hear what?" Dave states confused.

"The apology, you dork." She giggled out.

"Oh yeah, um, I think I wrote it down somewhere or something." He stated as he pretended to look for something.

"Dork." Mindy states with a smile.

"Look I know I've been kinda off these past few days. So I'll tell ya what, why don't we start training together again?" He states with a hopeful grin.

"Really?" Mindy asks with the happiest grin she's worn in a month.

"Sure, I'm kinda addicted to working out now, and you needed a training dummy right," He laughs.

Mindy tried her best not to hurt him as she hugged him, the two spend the next hour or so talking about school before Dave finally decides to head home. "You sure you don't want to stay here?" Mindy asked as she walked him to the door. "That couch is awful comfortable."

"Thanks, but I'm good, I called Marty, he's picking up my bike and heading over." Dave replied as he walked through the door.

"Alright." Mindy said as he sat on the bottom step of her porch.

She turned to go back into the house but noticed Dave staring at her. "What?" She asked staring back.

"You know I love you, right?" Dave asked with sappy smile.

"Partners to the end." Mindy laughed as she turned to enter the house.

Mindy wandered up the stairs and fell into her bed with a sigh. She stared at the ceiling for a moment before shutting her eyes and saying to herself with a smile on her face. "What a dork."

* * *

-a few minutes later.

"So how did I do?" Marty asked as they drove home.

"Great. Just like we rehearsed." Dave said with a little optimism, though Marty could tell it was forced.

"You know if she ever finds out what we just did, she's going to crush your balls in a vice and skin me alive." Marty stated with a little regret.

"I know man." Dave stated with a sigh. "She'll probably never forgive me for this, I know I wouldn't, but it had to be done. I cant have her thinking that Dave and The Fallen are the same guy."

"Why not, man? I get that you don't want her to get hurt, but seriously, she's Hit Girl. The toughest hero in the city. I don't think she needs you to protect her." Marty stated as they pulled onto Dave's street.

"Look Marty. Chris and Mindy are the only two things I have left. Once I kill Chris it will just be me and Mindy. That's it, I can't let her become another casualty of my war with Chris." Dave stated sadly.

"Okay man I get it, but seriously, what do you thinks going to happen if she figures out. If everything you told me about her is true, then she's going to kick your ass then tear Chris a vagina where his dick used to be."

"Look. I'll explain, Hit Girl is Kickass's partner, Chris hates Kickass, Kickass is gone, Chris spends all his time looking for Kickass," Dave begins

"Okay, I'm following so far." Marty replied.

"Then while Chris looks for Kickass, The Fallen and Hit Girl kill him. Chris dies before he even knows what hit him, and Mindy and her family stay safe." Dave finishes.

"Okay, makes sense. But your taking the fall for this, if she catches us. I like my balls were they are, thank you very much." Marty stated with a laugh. "So how long are you gonna wear that frown on your face?"

"Theirs a special kind of hell for people like me, isn't there?" Dave asked with a forced chuckle.

"Yep." Marty replied, as Dave exits the car.

* * *

_Chapter 3 peeps .for those wondering I will explain were Dave got the costume in a later chapter, and for those also wondering Dave's sword skills are based off his botons skills that's why he seems more advanced. Anyway please review, I love reviews, and see you soon guys. _

_P.S. I also got called for a job interview while writing this so, I might have just lost some of my free time lol._


	4. Chapter 4

_ I Got the job, that's so freaking awesome!. You guys don't even know. Now I don't have to worry about dieing a slow painful death in my parent's basement. Anyway, Dave is hiding stuff from Mindy... bad idea. Shes probably gonna kill Dave, I know I would. The Drama continues and thanks to ,theoldandthenew, turel1234, guest, and Kyle37, your reviews are the thing that keep me going. Thanks for you constructive criticism as well, it's really appreciated, now back to the story. **WARNING LOTS OF VULGARITY AHEAD, YOUR EARS MAY BLEED!**_

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 4

Mindy sat, in her room staring at the ceiling, recanting the nights events. It had finally happened, Hit Girl and The Fallen had finally met their arch-nemesis, The Motherfucker.

* * *

-begin flashback

It had been two weeks since Dave's Bicycle incident, two weeks since he told her, that he'd loved her. Mindy knew that he meant it in a purely platonic way, but still, it wasn't something she was going to forget for a while.

The next night she met up with The Fallen, for their nightly patrol, after thanking him for saving Dave, they got to work, The Fallen, believed that it was time that they started hunting The Motherfucker. They both knew that he was building an evil army, and they knew that their first move against him would have to be both quick, and deadly. They had to challenge him, had to get him out into the open, but if they didn't weaken him first, he was going to kick their asses. He had numbers, so the two of them got to work hunting his men from the shadows. They kept the whole thing quite, trying to make their assault seem like someone else was responsible. They spent two weeks hunting down anyone in The Motherfucker's gang, it wasn't hard, they all dressed like assholes in costumes.

Anyway, after two weeks of foiling robberies and other crimes. They finally got The Motherfucker's attention. They had just finished off an attempted rapist, and were walking out of an alley and back onto the street, when three black SUV pulled up in front of them. The two watched with a little concern as The Motherfucker, and fourteen other criminals including Mother Russia, hopped out of the cars.

Mindy recognized, The Motherfucker, and Mother Russia immediately, and as she saw them, she grabbed The Fallen by the arm, and dragged him back into the alley for cover. The two ran about thirty feet into the alley and hid behind a dumpster. They listened as they heard The Motherfucker and his gang approaching.

"My god!" They heard Chris, laugh. "Did you see how quickly they ran? I mean damn, I didn't think, Hit Girl and The Fallen, were such pussies!"

"Your going down, cocksucker!" Hit Girl, shouted in reply.

"Oh, mouth on her. I wonder if she knows how to use it." Chris stated whimsically, a few of his men snickered at that.

Chris, and all of his men, stood at the entrance to the alley, they all drew their weapons which ranged from a baseball bat, to a mac-10. Chris drew his handguns, and laughed. "First his dad, now his girlfriend, god can you imagine how fucked up Kickass is going to be after I send him your severed head."

"We need to draw them into the alley." Hit Girl, whispered to The Fallen, "In this tight space, numbers wont count for shit."

Mindy noticed that The Fallen was motionless, as he crouched next to her, the only movement she could see was his hands, which were visibly trembling. "Crap!" she thought, "He's not scared is he?"

"Come on out!" Chris shouted down the alley. "I know your hiding behind the dumpster, so just come on out, if you do then I promise I'll only send your head to Kickass, but if you make me work for it then I'm gonna have to send him more."

"Cunt!" Hit Girl, hissed in a hushed tone.

"What parts of Hit Girl should I send to Kickass?" Chris asked Mother Russia, gleefully,

"Send him, her head, heart, breasts, and genitals. Allow him to see his favorite pieces of her one last time." Mother Russia stated with a sneer.

"Oh... that bitch has to die!" Mindy thought to herself.

"Man that is some truly evil shit right their." Chris stated looking at Mother Russia. "God, I should be paying you for super-villain advice too."

"Fuck you!" Mindy shouted from behind the dumpster.

"Hey, a thought just occurred to me, she's flat chested, what do we do if she doesn't have enough of a pair to send?" Chris inquired. "I mean, what do we do then, send something else, and how do you send someones genitals?"

"Look man just cut out her hips from like, belly button to mid thigh, then cut off the arms and head. Their now you have her heart, head, boobs, cunt, and ass to send to him." one of his men chimed in.

"You... are a fucking genius!" Chris yelled as Mother Russia nodded, approvingly.

"Sick fucks! Every god damn one of them!" Hit Girl hissed to The Fallen, who was now visibly trembling. Mindy saw that he had clenched his hands into fists, and it was as if his trembling hands were causing his whole body to shake. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

"You're really going to make me come back there and get you? Come on Hit Girl, why don't you and your friend, make it easy for us." Chris asked with an evil grin, as he took out a cigar and put to his lips. As he did so, his men kinda looked at him funny. "What? Is this not what all super-villains do, smoke cigars."

"No, not really." One of his men stated with a little embarrassment.

"Oh come on, doesn't this make me look cool?" Chris whined.

"Again, no." the same guy replied.

"Oh, what the hell do you know?" Chris yelled as he put the cigar back to his lips.

"I swear to god, you cocksucker, I'm gonna shove that cigar so far up your ass, you're going to have to set fire to your nose to light it." Hit Girl yelled, receiving a few snickers from The Motherfucker's band of merry men.

"Bitch! I will end you!" Chris yelled losing his cool. "I swear to god, I'm going to rape the soul out of you! And then I'm going to send pictures of your cum soaked body to Kickass, I may even tell him where you are, and while he's on his way there, I'M GONNA SEND HIM A VIDEO OF ME SLITTING YOUR FUCKING THROAT, AS MY MEN FUCK YOUR CORPSE, AND WHEN HE FINALLY GETS THERE, HE'S GOING TO WALK IN AND FIND ME SKULL FUCKING YOU IN THE EYE HOLES AND..."

"CHRIS! YOU FUCKING CUNT!" The Fallen roared as he stood, and stepped out, drawing his swords "I'M GOING TO HANG YOU WITH YOUR OWN INTESTINES, AND MAKE YOU WATCH AS I WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE WALL, WITH YOUR SEVERED FUCKING DICK!"

"Jesus!" Mindy thought as she stood up next to him unsheathing her bladed BO staff. She had to stifle a giggle as she saw Chris' face, it was one of shock, The Fallen knew his name. Mindy had to wonder how he knew Chris' name, but, whatever.

"I'm gonna fucking murder you, asshole!" Chris stated aiming his guns at The Fallen.

"Tonight is the night, I send you to hell! And I hope that you end up, FROSEN IN THE WASTES OF THE NINTH CIRCLE OF HELL! GETTING CORNHOLED IN THE EYE SOCKETS, BY PINEAPPLE DICKED DEMONS, FROM NOW, UNTIL THE END OF FUCKING TIME!" The Fallen screamed in his raspy voice.

Chris' looked like he had been gut kicked, he had never been threatened like this before, there was so much rage in this guys voice. A twinge of fear shot up his spine as he stared at the hooded figure.

"THIS IS FOR THE FALLEN!" The Fallen shouted as he charged head long at Chris.

A million thoughts shot through Mindy's mind, and every third one was "holy shit!" She couldn't believe it, The Fallen had obviously popped a gasket. She'd never seen someone act like this, well, someone who wasn't on drugs. All she could think to do was join him in the charge, though Mindy had a lot more tact then The Fallen.

As she ran, she unsheathed two throwing knifes and let them fly, both hit their targets, the first hit one guy in the leg and the other, flew right into another guys, eye. Both men screamed as they fell.

Mindy couldn't help but feel thankful for The Fallen's rage induced threats. If he hadn't looked like he did, if he hadn't said what he did, and if he hadn't said it the way he said it. This charge would have got them killed. But because of it all, the thugs were petrified. They couldn't believe the fearless charge these two hero's were making. Most of the guys, including Chris, just stared as The Fallen and Hit Girl closed the gap.

As The Fallen closed in on his target, all that Chris could do was stare into the black abyss, beneath The Fallen's hood. Right before The Fallen got within swinging distance though, Mother Russia sprung into action. She threw the guy who had the knife in his leg, in front of Chris, and then grabbed Chris and started dragging him through the group. As Chris was forced to break eye contact he found himself shouting to his men, over and over "Kill them!"

If only he had spoken up sooner, by the time his words pierced his gangs ears, The Fallen was already on them, The Fallen sidestepped the man that was thrown at him and as he ran past him, he let one of his blades slice across his ribs. The cut wasn't deep but the sharpness of the blade was enough to draw blood. Hit Girl was the one to finish this guy off, as she ran at him and drove her bladed staff through his throat. As the man fell, she caught a glimpse of The Fallen as he barreled into the gang.

The Fallen was swinging his blade wildly, as he charged through the group. There was no skill or tact, he was just swinging his blades left and right, like a berserker. Hit Girl hung back knowing that The Fallen could hurt her if she got close. Hit Girl stuck with finishing off the guys that The Fallen knocked over.

Most of the guys couldn't react as the battering ram charged though them, anyone that was knocked over was left helpless as Hit Girl spun by, her blades lashing out at those around her. Mindy found it funny that, at this moment they were more afraid of him even though he wasn't really killing anyone, maybe one guy was actually killed by The Fallen as he broke through the back of the group just in time, to see Mother Russia throw Chris into one of the cars and drive off.

As Hit Girl arrived at his back, she heard him shout "DAMMIT!"

"Hey! We still got guys back here." She shouted as she analyzed the gang as they regrouped, she had killed 8 of them plus the one that The Fallen had killed, minus Mother Russia and The Motherfucker. That left four very frightened dudes. She watched with a smirk as they got to there feet and kinda huddled together raising there weapons.

The Fallen turned and started to walk towards them. Mindy took this moment to let loose a third throwing knife, which hit one of the guys in the jugular. As blood sprayed up the walls, the other three men screamed and turned to flee. The Fallen broke into a sprint and caught one that had a cape on. "Dumbass" Mindy Thought to herself as The Fallen grabbed the guys cape and pulled him back.

She walked up next to The Fallen who was staring down at the caped idiot. "Let's find out what Chris is up to." The Fallen hissed as he picked up the man and dragged him down another alley.

"Let's." Mindy replied as she fallowed.

They dragged the guy down another alley a few blocks away. And pinned him to a wall. "Time to talk. Tell us where the Motherfucker is hiding." The Fallen shouts.

"No fucking way, man!" The guy stated.

The Fallen drew one of his swords and sliced horizontally across the guys stomach, he did it just enough to cut open the guys costume and reveal his stomach.

"Speak, or I'm gonna spill your guts." The Fallen hissed sounding menacing.

"Okay, okay he has a hangout down at warehouse six... in Queens." The guy screeched holding up his hands

"Thanks." The Fallen stated as he stepped back from the man and looked at Hit Girl. "You wanna deal with him?"

The Man cringed and started to cry. Hit Girl stared at him, eying him up, "He's not even worth the effort." She declared as she turned to walk away.

The Fallen stepped forward and brought his foot down on the guys left knee. Mindy heard a crack and a scream as The Fallen turned to follow her.

The two wandered in silence as they made they're way back to Hit Girl's motorcycle, as they arrived Mindy turned and grabbed The Fallen by his coat and pulled him down to eye level before shouting. "What in the fuck was that?"

"I'm sorry I lost my cool." The Fallen replied not fighting her.

"Lost your cool? You flipped your shit! I don't even know what the fuck I just saw. You were like one of the drugged out ninja's you see on YouTube, you know the ones that it takes like forty cops to take down!" Mindy continued as she let go of him. "That was unbelievably stupid. What the fuck was your goal anyway? Did you think you were going to make it to Chris before his gang shot the shit outta you?"

"I don't know what I was thinking! I'm sorry!" He shouted as he sat in the middle of the alley.

"Understatement of the century!" Mindy chastised.

"Look I said I was sorry." He whined.

"Sorry... you could have died, shit, I could have died!" She stammered.

"You would have been fine. You're Hit Girl after all." He said in a low voice.

"Yeah I'm Hit Girl and my father was Big Daddy, a way tougher superhero, by the way, and guess what, he fuckin' died." She screamed at him. "Being Hit Girl doesn't make me automatically immune to bullets, you fucking idiot!"

"You're right." He said as he stood back up. "I'm sorry I lost control like that."

"Why the hell did that happen? What about the little fuck, pushes your buttons so much?" She asked in a worried tone.

"He... look... indirectly the D'amico name is responsible for my fathers death." He stated with a bit of sadness.

"Wha..." She began but then stopped. "Wait.. what? What do you mean?"

"The guys that killed my father worked for a D'amico, I swore revenge against anyone with that name. You and Kickass killed Frank D'amico, now I have to kill Chris." He stated with a shrug

"Well, if you don't cool off, you're going to get yourself killed instead." She replied

"I know..." He replied with a sigh.

"Look I can help you kill Chris, I really can, but you need to cool your jets and remain calm, we need to have a plan next time, we need to be ready. I can't have you flipping your shit like that again. I have enough problems when I have to watch the bad guys, I don't need to be worried that you're going to snap." She finished.

"Okay. I get it, I wont snap again, I'll keep calm, I know I screwed up." He stated with a weary voice. "I'm sorry if I scared you, I'll try to find some way of making it up to you."

Mindy let out a deep sigh before saying "You don't have to do that. Just keep cool next time and we wont have any problems."

"You sure? I mean I know I got outta hand..." He trailed off.

"It's fine." She stated, with a smile. "I need to get home, I think we should take a break for a few days, lay low."

"I agree." He stated with optimism. "Let's meet up at the usual spot in say, five days."

"Sure." She said as she started the motorcycle and looked at him. "We'll get him, I promise. You're not alone out here, you're my partner, I've got your back and you've got mine."

"Thanks." He said with a relieved sigh. "You know you're the best, right?"

"I know." She chirped, as she rode away.

* * *

-end flashback.

Mindy sat in her bed thinking about how lucky they were to have survived, she wasn't even hurt! This was her luckiest night out on the streets, she couldn't remember ever being this lucky. She still had trouble believing that neither one of them were hurt in that fight. She was still deep in thought when her alarm clock started to ring. "Shit!" she thought to herself. "I didn't sleep at all."

She shut off her alarm clock and went to see Marcus who was getting ready to take her to school. "Hey, Marcus."

"Hey Mindy, You almost ready?" He asked as she walked in.

"Marcus, can you call me in today? I didn't get any sleep last night." She said as she sat on his bed.

"What? Why?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"Just ran into The Motherfucker and his goons, we're fine, it's just, I spent all night thinking about the fight."

"Are you alright? Do you need to talk about it?" He asked as he sat next to her.

"No, I'm fine, I just need to rest today. Me and The Fallen are going to take a few days off, so you don't have to worry about me." Mindy said as she looked at him.

"Well that's good to hear," (referring to her news that she was staying off the streets for a little while.) "You've been doing good in school, and I guess everyone needs a day off, so.. why not, I'll go call you in. Do you want any breakfast?" he asked as he stood to leave the room.

"No. I think I'm just gonna hit the hay. See you later." Mindy said as she smiled at him.

"Okay then. You get some rest baby girl." He said as he left.

Mindy went to her room and tried to get some sleep, she knew she needed all the rest she could get if the was going to beat The Motherfucker, she found herself replaying the run-in with The Motherfucker again, she got to the part were Chris started to threaten her. "Kickass's girlfriend." she thought to herself with a smirk "Yeah right..." she stopped, and she slowly sat up.

"First his dad, now his girlfriend." She remembered Chris saying that. "First his dad... now his girlfriend. First his dad... " She stopped as the realization hit her. "That son of a bitch."

Mindy quickly grabbed her phone and dialed Dave's number. It rung, once, twice, three times, on the third he answered, "Hey Mindy, whats up?"

"The Motherfucker... Dave he's the one who set up your dad!" Mindy stated excitedly.

"What?" Dave started but Mindy cut him off.

"The Fallen and I fought with him yesterday. He said that he was responsible for what happened to your dad." Mindy stated, a combination of anger and excitement in her voice.

"Mindy... I... I was going to tell you but..." Dave started but Mindy cut him off again.

"Wait! You knew?" Mindy asked confused.

"Um, yeah. Its just..." Dave started again, he sounded like he had been gut punched.

"Dave. If you knew why didn't you tell me?" Mindy asked as she sat on the floor.

"I didn't want you to get involved. I knew you'd want to help me so... I figured it was best to just keep it quite. I'm sorry... I just didn't want you to get hurt. And besides, you were off the streets when it happened so I..." Dave spoke, his voice full of dread, and pain.

"Dave. What are you talking about. You tried to get me involved, remember?" Mindy asked unsure of what his answer would be.

"... what?" Dave asked confused.

"Yeah, you called and asked for my help, because your dad had been arrested for being kickass. Did you know it was a set up when you called me? I just thought that your father had turned himself in so that you would stop being Kickass." Mindy finished just as confused as Dave

There was a long silence before she heard Dave say "Shit!"

"Dave?" Mindy asked, incredibly confused

"...We need to talk!" Dave spoke with a sigh "Meet me at my house tonight, 8:00."

"What? Why..." She tried to say, but he hung up.

"Whats up with him?" She asked herself as she set down her phone. "I guess I'll find out tonight." she said with a sigh.

* * *

- At Dave's house

Dave sat on the floor, head in hands, swearing at himself over and over again. "Great going, dumbass, not what are you gonna do?"

Dave let out a heavy sigh. "How do I even begin to tell her?" He thought.

"Mindy... Chris killed my dad... No, Mindy, I am The Fallen... no, Mindy, this is all Marty's fault." Dave thought to himself as he stared at the clock. He closed his eyes, he had to smile as an image of him and Hit Girl standing over Chris' corpse flashed into his head. He opened his eyes and stared at a picture of his dad for a few moments before stating out loud "Mindy... you and I are partners..."

_Okay there we go. I'll have the next chapter out tommorow, let me know what you guys think, and ten points for the person who can guess where I got The Fallen's Rage line, before he charged the group. There are two of them so if you can guess I'll luvs you forever. _


	5. Chapter 5

_I Chipped, my damn tooth! I cant even believe that, I got home and I ate some chips and I chipped a big chunk out of my front, right, tooth. Damn, well at least I'm in the right mood to write this chapter. God I still cant believe the luck, my first job and a day before orientation I chip my damn tooth. Anyway lets get started, thank you all for the support, I love your reviews, please, keep them coming. Okay lets begin. _

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 5

Dave's mind was in a haze as he racked his brain for a way to tell his best friend that he had been lying to her. "Okay. Keep calm, Dave." He said to himself as he paced back and forth in his room. "Worst case scenario, she kills me... No worst case scenario, she stops talking to me... again!"

Dave had been regretting his decision to ask her to come over, since he made it. She was going to be furious and he knew it, he had to tell her though, she knew something was up with his dad, and it wouldn't take a lot of digging to figure it out. He knew that if she learned of it on her own, she would not only be furious but hurt as well, hurt that he couldn't tell her, hurt that he didn't trust her enough.

Dave knew that if he told her, at the very least he could explain, even if it meant enduring her wrath, it was still a hell of a lot better than the alternative. As he was pacing, "Apologize" by OneRepublic started playing on the radio "Come on man." He said, staring at the radio. He walked over to switch it off, as he did, he heard a knock at the door. "Oh shit!" he thought as he looked at the clock 8:05 P.M. "Okay, she's here, keep cool."

Dave took his sweet time getting to the door, it probably took him a full minute to get there, he heard the knock a few more times before he reached out and pulled the door open,

It was his neighbor. "Hey Dave!" she said, "Me and my friends are having a party later on in the week would you be alright with the noise?" She asked.

"What? Um, fine. Sure. Whatever you want." He stuttered out.

"Thanks!" She stated happily as she turned to walk away.

"Damn." Dave thought to himself as he hung his head. A few seconds passed, then a minute, then two, he was deep in thought, cursing everything he could think of, for that fucking scare.

Just as he was about to close the door though, he saw Marcus pull up with Mindy. "Of fuck! Fuck no! Dammit." He cursed to himself as she got out and said goodbye to Marcus.

Dave simply left the door open as he turned to walk up to his room. "Hey, Dave, what the... wait up!" He heard her say as she entered behind him and closed the door. "Hey? Earth to Dave, are you alive in there?" She asked as she walked after him.

He led her silently to his room, right as he got to the doorway he stopped and turned around, "Okay before we do anything else. Put all your weapons on the dresser."

"What? Why?" She asked confused.

"Look I don't wanna die before I finish talking, so just put anything that could be used to kill me, on the table." He stated in a serious tone.

"Dave, I can kill a man with his finger, remember? I don't need weapons to hurt you." She stated as she walked past him and sat on his bed.

"Damn," Dave stated as he leaned against the door frame. "Okay. Let me just start out by saying that you look like you haven't slept all day."

"Yeah, because some asshole has had me worried all damn day, so tell me what the fuck is up with you?" Mindy stated as she stood and walked over to lean on the other side of the door frame, opposite Dave.

"Okay... Mindy, I lied to you when I said that I wasn't going back out in costume." Dave started.

Mindy stared at him her eye brows perked, she was listening very intently.

"I only stopped for a week or so, after the thing with my dad, but then I was right back out there."

"Wait, so you're telling me I spent all that time begging you to come out on patrol with me, and you were already out there?." Dave nodded, "Ass!" she stated lightly kicking him in the shin.

"Why didn't you tell me, Dave? I would have been out there, with you, and where in the hell have you been patrolling? No one has seen Kickass in weeks, so you must be doing a pretty good job staying off the radar." She continued, eying him suspiciously.

"You're right!" He said as he walked over to his closet. "Kickass hasn't been seen out on the streets."

"Dave. I don't..." She started as she walked after him, she stopped mid sentence when she noticed him kneeling in front of a large chest in his closet. The chest was a decent size, you could easily fit a body in it if you wanted. She noticed a small padlock keeping the chest closed, Dave dialed in the combination and opened the chest before continuing.

"The reason why that is, is because I haven't been going out as Kickass." He stated plainly as he pulled a large black coat out of the trunk and threw it to her.

"Dave, wha..." She stopped as she examined the coat. It was big and thick and she knew that she'd seen it before, "What is thi..." She started again, but stopped when she got a good look into the trunk. She saw black gloves, black boots, a bulletproof vest, and most noticeably was a pair of black swords, that were strapped to the roof of the chest.

Dave just stepped out of the way so that she could see. He watched intently, as she stepped forward reached out and touched one of the swords. As she touched it she finally put two and two together.

"You...!" She turned and hissed at him.

He just starred back, as she walked over to him. "You, asshole!" She screamed throwing the coat at him. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?!"

"Mindy I..." He started, but she cut him off.

"You're The Fallen, I've been running around with you, all this time? What. The. Fuck!" She shouted again. "What the hell Dave? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry." Dave stated plainly as he sat on his bed.

"Dave... I don't understand. Why would you hide this? If you wanted to dress up as a different hero, why didn't you just come out and say it?" Mindy stated staring at him with bewilderment.

"Mindy..." Dave sighed.

"No! Dave! No excuses! Just tell me why!" Mindy yelled at him. He just hung his head in response. "...okay, I get not telling me, before I became Hit Girl again, okay, I get that. But why didn't you tell me when I decided to go back out there?"

Dave just continued to stare at the floor. "I mean, my god, Dave. I was fucking, working with you for three weeks, three damn weeks! You couldn't have stopped and been like, 'hey, Hit Girl, bye the way, I'm really your buddy Dave'. You couldn't have told me then?"

Dave still didn't move, she just stared at him as she remembered the day he came to apologize, and The Fallen saved him. Mindy's jaw dropped as she felt the anger build up inside her. "You... That day you came over to my house to apologize! The day that you got beaten up on your way there! The day you told me that You LOV...!" she began to shout, but her voice caught in her throat. She leaned against the wall as she tried to clear her head.

"What the hell was that?" She asked holding back her anger. "Who the hell was wearing the costume? Who beat you up?"

"Marty was wearing the costume... and I did that stuff to myself." He stated, not looking up.

"You what!?" She screamed as she ran her hands over her head. "Why?!"

"I didn't want you to figure it out. So me and Marty set up the whole thing. That way, when you tried to imagine who The Fallen was, Dave Lizewski would be the last face on your mind." He stated still unable to look at her.

"You... ASSHOLE!" She shouted, as she kicked him in the chest. Dave fell back onto his bed. The kick wasn't as hard as it could have been, but it was definitely going to leave a welt.

"So you were able to tell Marty, but not me? I thought we were best friends. I thought we were partners. I mean... for the love of god Dave, why the fuck, didn't you tell me? And you better have a damn good reason because I swear to god..." She was in the middle of her rant when Dave pulled out his phone and threw it on the bed, in front of her. She could see his face was red, with tears flowing down it.

"Okay, that's not what I thought would happen." Mindy thought to herself. As she looked down at the phone.

"Go to messages and click on the one with Chris' name." He said as he sat up on the bed, visibly sobbing.

Mindy did just that, she clicked on messages, and found a message from Chris D'amico, she saw that it had been sent five and a half weeks ago, On the day that Dave's dad was arrested.

Mindy clicked the message and a moment later, a picture of a bloody, beaten, face came up. It took her a moment before all the bruises and the blood vanished and she realized who it was.

Her eyes widened in horror and her jaw almost dropped to the floor. It was Dave's dad, beaten, bloodied, but still his dad, she couldn't tell from the picture if he was alive or dead, but from the way that Dave was crying, she knew it had to be the latter.

"Dave..." She began, as warm tears began to fall from her eyes. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could.

Mindy felt him return the hug as he wept "I'm sorry." into her shoulder.

Mindy could feel all the emotion pouring out of him. He had been hiding his pain, all this time, it had been five weeks since then. And he had been hiding it, burying it all inside of him, "Dammit Dave." She cried as she squeezed him tighter.

"I'm sorry." he cried again.

"Dave, no, don't be sorry. My god." Mindy stated as she pulled back to look at him.

"Chris knows." He wept, staring back at her. "He knows I'm Kickass. I had to stop being Kickass. I had to pretend like he'd won. I couldn't let him think that I was out for revenge. If he knew that I was out hunting him, he'd go after Marty, or you, or even Marcus, to get at you. I had to pretend like I was moving on. I couldn't let you get involved, if you knew what he'd done to me, you would have moved heaven and earth to help me." Dave croaked, still sobbing.

"Dave." Mindy croaked in response, trying her hardest not to break down and weep for Dave's loss.

"I can't lose you!" Dave spoke up, as more tears fell from his eyes. "You're all I have left, My mom is gone, my dad is dead, without you I have nothing left!" he stuttered out barely keeping himself together.

"What about your friends?" She offered, hoping to give him some assurance that he wasn't as alone as he thought. "You still have Marty."

"Marty is a great friend, better than I deserve, but he's still just a friend. Friends come and go, one day, one of us will leave the other and that will be the beginning of the end of that relationship." Dave sputtered out.

"Dave." Mindy cried, as Dave, pulled her back into a hug.

"You're different. You're not like Marty, Marty's my best friend... But you're my partner. You're the half that makes me whole." Dave cried as he squeezed her tighter. "Without you... I... don't know what I'd do."

Mindy started to cry again, as she burried her head into Dave's shoulder. Mindy couldn't think of what to say to that. She just sat there holding him in her arms as he continued to cry. It must have been two or three minutes before she finally found something to say, it was the only thing that seemed right, "You know I love you, right?" She said mimicking his words from that night.

"Partners to the end." He replied a few seconds later. Mindy, couldn't help herself as she pulled back slightly and gently kissed his cheek. She couldn't help how much she loved this big, dumb, oaf in her arms.

She was surprised when he pulled away slightly, only to brush her lips with his own, he held himself in place for a few seconds before gently kissing her. He pulled away after a second and rested his forehead against hers. Mindy sat there for a second in shock, it was Mindy's first kiss and, like a blade, the feeling that she felt, cut through all of the sadness that she had been feeling at that moment.

"Dave." she started to whisper but her voice got caught in her throat. For the first time, Mindy was left speechless, the butterflies that had taken up residence in her belly, were now fluttering throughout her whole body. It was a full minute before Dave finally spoke.

"I love you. I am, who I am, because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours." Dave stated, as he stared deep into her eyes.

"You got that from 'The Notebook'." Mindy giggled, as she stared back at him not realizing that she had a dumb grin on her face.

"It seemed appropriate." Dave stated in return.

Mindy giggled in reply, before pulling him into another kiss. She held the kiss for a moment before pulling away. As she pulled away from the kiss, she pulled him into another hug.

The two held the embrace for a full minute before Mindy, broke the silence. "Dave, about your dad, I'm sorry."

"Why?" Dave stated, as he pulled away to look her in the eyes.

"I wasn't there for you when you needed me. And I..." Mindy started but Dave cut her off with a quick kiss.

"You have nothing to apologize for, it was my fault. I should have told you from the beginning. Maybe then I wouldn't have had to walk around school with a fake smile for the past few weeks. Maybe I wouldn't feel like shit now. Maybe..." This time it was Dave who was cut off, with a quick kiss from Mindy.

"Don't do that to yourself, Dave. I forgive you for lying," She stated with a cute half smile. "But, don't think for a second, I'm going to forget it. I'll find some way to get back at you, for lying about the whole 'The Fallen' thing." She finished as she switched from the cute smile to a sassy one.

"What about... the other thing..." Mindy cut him off as she saw some sadness begin to creep back onto his face.

"I can let it slide, but only if you promise me something." Mindy said as she pressed her forehead to his again.

"Sure, anything." Dave stated as he locked eyes with her.

"I want you to promise me that you'll let me try." Mindy stated returning his gaze.

"Try what?" Dave asked with a little giggle.

"I know I'm probably not your first love... but I intend to be your last." Mindy stated, as she pulled their bodies close together, she was vaguely aware that she had been sitting on his lap, and now the two were pressed together as close as they could possibly get.

"Sounds like a plan, but I still don't know what you want me to promise?" Dave stated with a smile still staring deep into her eyes.

"Promise me that you'll let me try to be your last love." Mindy smiled as she told him.

"Is this me, giving you permission to kill any future girlfriends I might have?" Dave laughed. For the first time since she got there, Mindy couldn't detect any pain in his voice.

"No this is you giving me permission, to move heaven and earth to ensure that we will always be together." Mindy stated as she pulled him into another kiss.

"Wow..." Dave stated with a few tears in his eyes, and a big grin on his face.

"That good?" Mindy asked with a smile.

"That 'wow' wasn't for you." Dave stated, to Mindy's disapointment, before laughing. "I swear, my damn radio is possesed,"

Mindy looked over his shoulder, to see his radio was indeed, on. Mindy hadn't noticed that it had been silently playing music this whole time, it took her a second to notice the song that was playing, it was "Whatever it takes" by "Lifehouse"

Mindy giggled, as she listened to the song. "You know what this means, right?" Mindy stated as she pushed Dave back so that he was lying on the bed.

"No, what?" Dave said with a laugh, as Mindy laid next to him. He rolled onto his side and Mindy did the same as they stared at each other.

"We have a song." Mindy said with a grin, "A couple for five minutes, and we already have a song."

"Oh really? Well, I think Lifehouse will enjoy the winning endorsement of yet another young couple." Dave stated with a laugh.

Mindy didn't know how long they just laid there staring at each other, it could have been a minute or ten for all she knew, time just seemed to be jumping in intervals, What broke the young couples trance was a knock at the front door. Mindy shot up and looked at the clock. 9:30. it was Marcus.

"Shit, it's Marcus." Mindy whined.

"Why don't you go on home, we can talk more tomorrow." Dave stated sitting up.

"Fuck that, I'm staying here tonight." Mindy growled as she got up.

"What about Marcus?" Dave asked as Mindy walked out of the room.

"I'll get rid of him." She called back.

Mindy flew down the stairs three or four steps, at a time, and was at the front door in a flash. She swung the door open to find Marcus standing on the porch, "Marcus I'm gonna stay here tonight!" She almost yelled.

"What, why?" Marcus stated with surprise as he recoiled from her sudden outburst.

"Look Marcus, There is a short, medium, and long story, as to why I need to stay here tonight, and I only have time to explain the short, if you want the medium version, go down and ask the police chief about the man that was murdered in the police station a few weeks back. If you want the long version your just gonna have to wait until I get home to hear it." Mindy stammered out quickly, as she turned to close the door.

"Wait!" Marcus shouted stopping her. "At least tell me the short version."

Mindy calmed down and took a deep breath before starting. "I once asked my daddy about how someone knew they were in love. He said, you know you're in love with someone, when the hardest thing to do in your life becomes saying goodbye to that person."

"Okay." Marcus replied with a confused look.

"Tonight I'm not strong enough to say goodbye." She stated as she turned and closed the door.

"What. Just. Happened?" Marcus asked himself as he turned to return to the car.

Mindy flew up the stairs and raced back to Dave's room. She walked in and found him curled up on his bed, Mindy walked over and sat next to him. "Hey, you asleep?" She whispered.

"No just resting my eyes." Dave replied.

"You want me to sleep on the couch or would you rather..." Mindy trailed off as Dave took the hint rolled onto his other side and motioned for her to get in bed with him.

Mindy crawled up next to Dave and snuggled up next to him. "I think I'm falling asleep now." Dave mumbled to himself with his eyes closed. "You still going to be here when I wake up?"

"Hell yes." She replied with a grin as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Mindy had never fallen asleep so fast, there was something about laying there, with Dave laying right next to her, that made Mindy feel so safe. She had never before gone to bed with such a big smile on her face. She drifted off and was greeted with dreams of her and Dave and all the future might hold for them.

_Okay so halfway through writing this chapter I made a trip to the dentist to get my damn tooth fixed. So I was in a much better mood for the second half of the chapter, anyway tell me what you think. Send me reviews and I will send you chapter._


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay so I'm moving on to chapter 6, this is going great, I will try to be consistent with my updates, but we'll just have to see. I'm a huge Dave and Mindy fan, as you will quickly learn, now it's time to see what will become of the young couple, now that Mindy knows the truth. Lets begin._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 6

Mindy laid on Dave's bed listening to the music that was still playing on the radio, neither her nor Dave, had shut it off, before they went to bed the night before. She listened as "Thunder" by Boys like Girls, played softly, she had a huge grin on her face. She had been awake for a half an hour already, just listening to the music, she would occasionally glance over to see Dave laying next to her, dead asleep.

She rolled over to look at Dave, once again, she had been thinking about their declaration of love, she couldn't believe that he told her that he was "in" love with her, she, really, couldn't believe that she had said it back. Everything had happened so fast, The news that Dave was The Fallen, the news that his dad had been murdered, him saying that he loved her. Mindy was still trying to compute all of this information.

Mindy sighed, as her mind returned to the kisses they shared earlier, it was the happiest she'd ever been, and yet, she was aware of the dark undertone of the previous night. Dave's dad was dead, he was dead and Dave was left to deal with it, alone. "five weeks of hell", Mindy thought to herself as she reached out to caress Dave's cheek.

Right as she was about to touch him, his eyes shot open and he started to tremble, and hyperventilate.

"Dave!" Mindy shouted as she sat up, she looked into his eyes, he was horrified by something, "Dave... Damn it! Dave, snap out of it!" She yelled as she as she slapped his cheek.

Dave didn't react. He just stared straight forward and continue to tremble.

"God Dammit! Dave it's was just a dream. Wake Up!" Mindy shouted to him, as she slapped him a lot harder. Dave stopped trembling and blinked.

"Good god, you scared the fuck out of me!" Mindy shouted as he sat up, taking deep breaths.

Dave stared straight ahead for a few seconds before slowly turning to look at her. He looked slightly surprised that she was there. "Mindy..." He stopped with a confused look before he remembered the previous night. "Oh sorry. I forgot you were here."

"Jesus, Dave. What the fuck happened?" Mindy stated, as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"It was just a nightmare, I been having them since my dad's death." Dave replied as he got up and wandered out of the room.

Mindy watched him leave, and a few seconds later heard the bathroom light, click on. As she got up to follow him, she heard water start running, as she rounded the corner she saw him splashing his face with water. Mindy didn't know what to feel as she watched him, she had still been high off of Dave's kisses from the previous night, he however was not, he was still suffering.

Mindy walked up behind Dave, she had planned to hug him, but was stopped when she noticed some blood on the back of his shirt.

"Dave, are you bleeding?" Mindy asked as she approached him.

"What?" He asked as he turned to face her.

"Your back, there's some blood on your shirt." Mindy replied as she reached out to twist him around and lift his shirt. As she pulled up his shirt, she saw, a large thick bandage hanging off his shirt. As she pulled his shirt up over his head, she was able to get a good look at what the bandage was concealing, it was a medium length cut that ran almost horizontally across the top of his hip. "Damn Dave, where the hell did you get this?"

"I think one of Chris' gang managed to get a hit in when I barreled through them." Dave stated as he turned to inspect the wound in the mirror.

"Who the hell did the stitching, cuz who ever it was needs to rethink their day job?" Mindy stated as she looked it over.

"I did it." Dave answered plainly.

"I think the stitches might have come undone when you kicked me last night." Dave stated with a chuckle.

"Oh shit. Sorry." Mindy, stated with a little regret.

"Its fine, but do me a favor? Stitch me back up." Dave stated as he sat on the edge of the bath tub.

"Sure. You got a first aid kit?" Mindy asked as she grabbed a towel out of one of the drawers.

"Yeah, in the linen closet." he stated, gesturing to the closet, outside the bathroom.

Mindy grabbed the first aid kit, and checked to make sure she had everything she needed then, pulled out a needle and some thread. "You know your lucky you can barely feel this."

"Yeah I know right, Dave Lizewski, doesn't need drugs to numb the pain, Dave Lizewski, is already paralyzed." Dave chided in return.

"Okay, just hold still so I can get this done quickly." Mindy stated as she began restitching Dave's wound.

Mindy did her work in silence and was almost finished when she had to ask, "How often do you have those nightmares?"

Dave simply shrugged, "Maybe once every other night."

"What are they about?" Mindy asked focusing on her work.

"My dad, and Chris... you" Dave stated with a little pain in his voice.

Mindy let out a long sigh, before asking, "Dave, I know now, probably isn't the right time, but when you feel like it, I'd really like to talk about last night."

"If you wanna talk then go ahead and talk, I've got nothing better to do." Dave replied calmly.

"Look Dave, I meant everything I said last night, I think I'm..." Mindy paused for a second before correcting herself. "I know that I'm in love with you."

"But?" Dave asked, with a sad look on his face as he turned to her.

"But I'm not really sure, you meant what you said." Mindy replied as she finished with his wound.

"What? What do you mean? I know what I said and I meant it. I love you." Dave replied as he took her hands.

"Dave... I know that you love me, and I know that I'm 'in' love with you, I just don't know if you're 'in' love with me." Mindy stated with a little sadness.

"Mindy...? I know that with everything that's happened, things might seem like they're going too fast, but I promise you, I knew what I was doing when I told you that I loved you. And I..." Dave stated as Mindy interrupted him.

"Dave, I don't care about things going 'too fast', I'm a hero, I could be dead tomorrow, all I care about is making sure that this is genuine. I can't have you regretting this, not when I want it, so badly. I remember what you said, about me being all you had left, I just don't want you to think that you need to tell me that you love me, just so that I'll stay with you." Mindy said with a little sadness in her voice.

"...Mindy..." Dave stated with a little surprise.

"You don't need to apologize or try to prove anything to me, I just wanted you to know what I thought, I love you, and you love me, that's the only thing that matters to me. The whole 'in love' part can wait until later." Mindy finished with a smile. "So don't feel like you have to love me, just so I'll stay. I planned on staying even if you didn't love me. You're my partner, it's as simple as that."

Mindy squeezed Dave's hands as she finished, then she just smiled at him.

"Hey Mindy?" Dave stated after a few seconds.

"What?"

"Can you do me a huge favor?" Dave stated with a little laugh.

"Sure, anything." Mindy replied.

"Can you beat the living fuck outta me if I ever start regretting this." Dave stated warmly.

"Regretting what?" Mindy asked, with a confused look.

"This." Dave stated in a whisper, as he reached out and pulled Mindy into a kiss.

"Dave, I told you, that you didn't have to try and convince me of anything." Mindy whispered with a smile as they pulled apart.

"I know. I wasn't trying to convince you of anything." Dave whispered in reply as he pulled her into another kiss.

"You're such a sap." Mindy giggled as they pulled apart.

"Just let me know if it seems like I'm trying to hard." Dave laughed in reply.

Dave stared at Mindy for a few moments, before getting up, and leading her to his bedroom. Dave sat down on the edge of his bed as, Mindy sat on his lap.

"Is this your romantic attempt to get laid?" Mindy asked with a grin.

"No, just my way of saying I love you." Dave replied as he gently kissed her again.

"Dave..." Mindy started but Dave cut her off.

"Mindy I want you to know something... I want you to know that it's going to take a long time for me to heal... it could be a couple months... or a couple of years, I might never feel better! I don't know when I'm going to be better, I want you to know that I don't plan on waiting until I'm better to start loving you. The truth is that I've always loved you, and now... all I want to do is spend my time showing you just how much I care." Dave stated with confidence.

"You really are a goof ball, Dave. I guess that's why I like you so much." Mindy chastised, as she hugged him.

Dave held her tightly and whispered into her ear, "There's one other thing I want you to know... just so we can set the record straight. I don't love you because, I want you to stay with me. I want you to stay with me, because I love you."

Mindy let out a long sigh, as she pulled back to look into his eyes, scanning for any doubt, or trace of a lie, she found none.

"Fine. Fuck worrying. I'm just going to enjoy this." Mindy stated as she pulled Dave into a deep kiss.

Mindy had an idea, as she slipped her tongue past Dave's lips, it was a moment before he took the hint and started to make out with her. It was the first time Mindy has ever made out before, she now understood why the popular bitches thought it was such a milestone, for a girl. She was in the middle of a thought when Dave's alarm clock went off, causing both of them to jump. Mindy laughed as Dave dove over his bed to turn it off.

"Are we going to school today?" Dave asked with a smile as he returned to her side.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Mindy replied as she stood and stretched.

"So, if were not going to school, then what are we doing today?" Dave asked as he stood to do the same.

"I think we have some hero business to discuss." She stated nodding at the trunk in his closet.

"Right." Dave stated as he looked at the chest.

"Dave?" Mindy stated as a thought just crossed her mind.

"What?" Dave replied staring at her.

"I think I might have accidentally told Marcus who you were last night, or at least how to figure out who you are." Mindy stated, trying to recall exactly what she said.

"What? What do you mean?" Dave asked.

"I may have told him to ask around the station, about your dad." She stated with a sheepish smile.

"..and it won't take him long to figure out who Kickass is." Dave finished for her.

"I'm sorry. I don't even know what I was thinking, I just..." Mindy started to explain but Dave stopped her with a grin.

"It's okay." He stated keeping the grin. "I guess we'll just have to explain things to him."

"Yeah. God, he's going to be pissed." Mindy stated with a sigh.

"What about? The part where I was Kickass, the part where I 'am' The Fallen, or the part where I'm kinda in love with you." Dave asked sheepishly.

"He'll just have to live with that last one." Mindy stated as she walked over to Dave's computer.

"What are you doing?" Dave asked as he followed.

"I'm going to hack into the schools attendance record and have us set as absent today, that way I don't have to deal with Marcus until later." She said as she sat down at his computer. "Now, I'm going to wake this thing up, am I going to find any porn on the screen when I do?"

"Um, I don't think so." Dave stated with a laugh as Mindy hacked the school website.

A few moments of typing went by before Mindy finished, and stood up, "Okay, I guess I should get all my fan-girl questions out of the way."

"What do you mean?" He asked as she walked over to the trunk in his closet and began taking out his gear and setting it on his bed.

"I mean, how in the hell did you do some of this?" She stated as she threw the final piece of his gear onto the bed.

Mindy looked over his costume, she thought about all the question she'd wanted to ask in the beginning, as she was thinking however, the video of The Fallen taking a head shot flashed into her brain.

She picked up the balaclava, as she turned to ask him about the bulletproof head.

"That one was pretty tough to get right." Dave stated as he reached into the closet and pulled out a box. He opened it, and pulled out two pieces of metal, he held them up for her to see, it took a few moments to piece together how it worked but, she finally got it. The two pieces of metal took the form of a skull cap and face mask. It had Three pieces of plastic clips, screwed into it, so that the two pieces of metal, latched when pressed together. There was one clip on the forehead, one on the top of the skull and one in the back. Place the two pieces over your head and clip them together, and when you wanted to take it off just un-clip the pieces and it splits back in two. The metal was at least an inch thick, it would give whomever wore it a giant head, but, it could stop a low caliber bullet.

"So you just place this thing on your head, then slip the balaclava over it, then up goes the hood?" Mindy asked as she continued the examination.

"Yeah, it was the hardest piece of the costume to get right." Dave stated with a little pride.

"How did you get it?" Mindy asked, curiously.

"It took a bit of work I had to pay some guy to take a plaster mold of my head, then pay another guy to make the metal, then I was stuck in my basement with a drill, trying to get those clips to work." Dave explained.

"How much did all that, cost you?" Mindy asked with a grin.

"All in all. I think it was about twelve hundred bucks." Dave stated, sheepishly.

"Where did you get the money?" Mindy asked as she started looking over the rest of his gear.

"I took what my dad was saving for my college fund, and used it." Dave replied with a little guilt. "That was about two grand, plus what my dad had left to me in his will, which was the house, car and about five grand. I think I spent over six thousand on this costume and weapons.."

"six grand, that's not half bad." Mindy stated with enthusiasm.

"It's far from perfect and it sucks to wear, but it gets the jobs done." Dave replied with a shrug.

Mindy examined the rest of the costume, he had bulletproof shin guards, thigh guards, shoulder guards, and forearm protectors, plus a bulletproof vest, add in the makeshift head piece and you've got head to toe, body armor. The only noticeable weaknesses were/ that it was heavy, and that the vest didn't have side armor to guard from flanking attacks. There were obvious flaws, but it was actually a pretty well put together suit, and obviously there were money constraints on Dave's part, so he had to work with what he could get a hold of.

"So what do you think?" Dave asked as he sat on his bed.

"It's pretty decent, there are areas that could be approved on but, pretty good overall. Quick question, why aren't the sides of the vest, plated?" Mindy asked as she picked it up to examine it.

"I got the arm guards first and when I put them on, and swung my batons around in them, I noticed how hard it was to keep the shoulder guards from rubbing my sides. So, I figured if I got a vest with side guards then my shoulder guards would impede my movement. I wanted full protection but I still needed to be able to move with a decent amount of speed in the costume." Dave finished explaining.

"Right. Well we should look into modifying the outfit, before we head back out onto the streets." Mindy stated as she picked up the swords, and unsheathed them. "Nice." Mindy thought to herself as she looked them over, steel, straight, nice and sharp, plain but effective.

Mindy twirled the swords a few times before putting them back into their sheaths. "Okay, I was going to ask where you learned your swords skills, but now that I know it's you, it's easy to tell that you're just using your baton skills. So I'm going to have to start teaching you how to use them properly."

"Anything else?" Dave asked with a grin.

"Yeah, how goes the free running in full gear?" Mindy asked with a smirk.

"Hey I wasn't kidding about that." Dave whined. "I've been trying to do it but I keep falling."

"So, it's not that your not strong enough to parkour in this outfit, you're just not coordinated, enough?" Mindy asked with a giggle.

"Yeah, basically." Dave replied, a little embarrassed.

"Have you tried free running without the costume?"

"Yeah, once. I fell off a dumpster, and nearly cracked my skull open." Dave replied, wide eyed.

"That must have been fun." She laughed, as she heard a knock at the front door.

Mindy looked over at the clock, it was 7:20, "Who do you think that is?" Dave asked as he walked over to the window. "Mindy you should, probably go answer that, it's Marcus."

Mindy went down the stairs and opened the door to find that it was indeed, Marcus. "Hey." She said with a little smile.

"Hey." Marcus replied, eying her suspiciously. "I think you owe me an explanation for last night."

"Yeah, I do." Mindy stated as she opened the door and motioned for him to come in.

Mindy led him into Dave's kitchen, she could feel his eyes burrowing a whole into the back of her head, he was obviously more than a little pissed that she slammed the door in his face last night.

"Look, I need to go get Dave. There's some things we need to talk about." Mindy stated as she left the kitchen to go get Dave, as she was leaving she saw the look on his face change from, slightly pissed, to Oh God No. Mindy didn't know what made Marcus' look change so drastically but it was a something she intended to ask about.

Mindy walked up the stairs and found Dave in the hallway leaning against a wall, "You ready?" she asked as she took his hand.

"Do we have to do this now?" Dave whined as he followed her.

"If we wait and he finds out, himself, he's going to be even more pissed. This way, at the very least, we'll have honesty on our side." She replied as she led him downstairs. Dave let out a long sigh as they entered the kitchen and found Marcus, standing there, arms crossed. When he saw Mindy holding Dave's hand he looked like he had just received terrible news, like... the kind you weep about.

Mindy didn't know why Marcus was making that face, "What could he be thinking?" She thought to herself, as they stopped in the center of the kitchen a few feet from Marcus.

"Oh fuck!" Dave thought to himself as he recognized that look, it was the look he'd given Mindy whenever she asked him about sex. Dave realized what Marcus must have thought, happened last night.

Dave let go of Mindy's hand and held his hands up, in a surrendering fashion. "I swear this isn't what it looks like." He stated, as Marcus glared at him.

"Oh yeah? Well you'd better start explaining, before I knock your teeth out." Marcus growled in return.

"I've been going through some stuff and Mindy was just here to comfort me." Dave stuttered out, hands still raised, he realized as he spoke that he hadn't helped his case.

"Oh really? You're gonna have to do better than that." Marcus said as he raised a hand to crack a knuckle.

"No I mean like legit, comfort, not 'comfort'" Dave stated with air quotes.

"So you expect me to believe that my fifteen year old daughter, spent the night with an older guy, and nothing happened?" Marcus growled, murder in his eyes.

"That's exactly right, she was just here to comfort me, nothing weird... just... okay, can you at least give me a five second head start?" Dave said, dropping his hands and hanging his head.

"Details?" Marcus stated as he took a step forward. "Then I'll tell you how much of a 'head start' you're gonna get."

"What in the fuck are the two of you talking about?" Mindy stated, getting between them, and staring at Dave with a confused look, "I don't know what the hell you guy's are talking about."

She looked over at Marcus before continuing. "Marcus, Dave's my best friend, he lost his dad a few weeks ago, and I just couldn't leave him alone last night."

"Tell me what happened?" Marcus stated, still eying Dave with contempt.

"Look Marcus... I love him..." Mindy started but was cut off when Marcus through his arms up into the air and swore.

"Look, what you think happened. It didn't happen." Dave stated, trying to explain.

"No. It did happen, he told me that he loved me, and I love him, I enjoyed every second of what happened!" Mindy shouted to Marcus, before turning to Dave. "Why the hell are you trying to pretend like nothing happened?!"

"You're killing me!" Dave screeched through his teeth, keeping his eyes on Marcus.

Marcus looked like he was about to explode with rage. Dave backed away a few feet before processing Mindy's question. "I'm not trying to pretend nothing happened, nothing did happen... okay something happened but not what you think." He finished gesturing to Marcus.

"Okay! Will someone explain to me, in simple English, what the hell happened last night?!" Marcus shouted.

"Look she was trying to comfort me, and I told her that I was in love with her and then I kissed her. That's all!" Dave shouted back.

"That's exactly what I was trying to say." Mindy shouted too the two of them.

"I'm just gonna clear this up so I don't get arrested." Dave said to himself before looking at Marcus. "Mr. Williams, I did not have sex with your daughter!"

"What does...?" Mindy started before realization finally struck her. "Oh no, yeah, we didn't do anything like that it was just... okay, crap." Mindy finished with a sigh as her face began to turn red.

"So nothing happened?" Marcus asked the two of them.

"No, nothing like, that, happened but, we are kinda a thing now." Mindy stated with a shrug, her face still red.

"Okay so there is obviously, a lot missing from this story, I'm gonna sit down. One of you two, explain." Marcus stated, as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Okay, I guess I should start at the beginning," Dave started as he sat down opposite Marcus. "This is a story about a kid who read way to many comic books growing up, and spent his whole life dreaming of being a superhero..."

_Chapter 6 done. Took me a bit longer, and even though it is a longer chapter than the others, not a whole lot happened, I just thought I should take some time and explain a few things in this chapter. How Dave got his The Fallen costume, and what exactly they plan on doing in the future. Anyway send me your reviews and I shall absorb the necessary life energies to fuel me, as I write another chapter._


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay so I was going to wait until tomorrow to do this since I just released the 6th chapter, but as I sit here, I find myself continuing the story in my head, and I really like the direction I'm taking it so I really feel like I should be be writing my thoughts, so I guess you lucky ducks get another chapter, It may be shorter, since my hand might start cramping, so we'll just have to see. Also I've gone back and revamped the other chapters, (Checked for errors, made a few minor alterations to fit better) I appreciate the constructive criticism, it really helps me out, if you have a problem or find something hard to understand, just tell me, in a nice manner and I'll be sure to take it into account. One last thing, 'adm-frb' asked about what The Fallen's costume was based off of, and the answer is that its little bit of the Darkman, but, I was actually basing it off of 'True Night' from one of the Criminal Minds episodes, look it up on Google if you want. Anyway, lets begin._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 7

Marcus sat and listened to Dave's story, he didn't talk, or stop him at any point, he just listened,

"...and then five weeks ago, the police arrested my dad." Dave stated with a sigh. "I went to go see him, and I made him a promise that I would not be Kickass, again."

"That night, Chris D'amico, sent me a picture of my dad, he was beaten, and bloodied..." Dave paused in the middle of his story to take a deep breath. "I knew after I did some thinking, that it was Chris' plan to break me, he didn't care if I was dead, he just wanted my life to be a living nightmare. So I took a few days off and decided my next move. After a lot of deliberation, I decided that revenge seemed like a good plan."

Dave stopped as he took another deep breath. "I decided that I needed to scare the living hell out of Chris, I decided to become something that he could fear, so I became The Fallen." Marcus seemed to shift a little as he continued to listen.

"No one knew who The Fallen was, the only person I held to confidence was a fellow hero, and that was only because he also knew about my dad's death. I hid the truth from everyone, especially Mindy..." Dave stopped as he decided on how to tell the rest of the story. "I knew it was only a matter of time before Chris got off his ass, and decided to come after me again. So I started to try and distance myself from Mindy, she was the only other friend I had, that made her the only other target."

Mindy began to listen very intently as Dave reached this portion of the story. "I knew that if I told Mindy about my dad, she'd want to help me, help with my revenge. I couldn't ask her to do that, I couldn't put her in that kind of danger. Hit Girl was at the top of Chris' shit list, but as long as Hit Girl was off the streets, and Mindy Macready, was just some girl who was friends with Dave Lewinski, Chris wouldn't have much to worry about."

Dave stopped as he began to direct his speech at both, Marcus and Mindy. "I knew that I should have distanced myself from Mindy. I tried, I knew that if I just came out and told her off, she'd have figured me out, so I decided on a much more subtle approach. Every time I saw her I just remembered how she blew me off when my dad was arrested, then I'd try to make it seem like nothing was wrong. With how smart Mindy is, I knew it wouldn't take long for her to figure out that something was bothering me. When that day finally came, I had planned on flipping out on her, making her feel bad, or even calling her out for what she did. But, when the time came, I just couldn't do it, Mindy was still my best friend, I tried too, I really did! I tried to make her feel guilty, but in the end, all I managed to do was hurt her, I didn't break our bond, or put a strain on our friendship, I just hurt her." Dave paused and glanced at Mindy who had a gentle face, he could tell that she knew what he was going to say next.

"Afterwords, I felt so shitty, that I had to apologize. I guess I'm not as strong as those guys in the comics, I just can't let go of the people that I love. So me and my hero friend hatched a scheme to stop Mindy from ever figuring out who The Fallen really was. I pretended to get beaten up, my buddy wore the costume, and Mindy was none the wiser. I get to keep her as a friend and she doesn't get caught up in my revenge." Dave continued as he shifted in his seat.

"That of course was only half the problem, because, by that time, Mindy was back out on the streets as Hit Girl, and she just so happened to be partnered with The Fallen. I didn't know what to do about that. Again I didn't want to be a dick to my best friend, so I decided if she was going to be back out on the streets it might as well be with me. Of course this presented another problem, Hit Girl was now working with The Fallen, and The Fallen was hunting Chris, so inadvertently she had entered into my plans for revenge. So, I was forced to try and come up with another way of keeping her and Chris apart, though I never got around to it because the other night we ran into him, and I flipped out. We managed to scare him off, but I'd definitely raised some questions, I tried to play it off by kinda telling her a revamped version of the truth that would fit with the fake origin story, The Fallen had given her. Again it worked and yet it didn't, because Mindy ended up calling me and asking about my dad, and being the idiot that I am, I ended up backing myself into a corner, and in the end had to come clean or risk her finding out on her own." Dave finished and just stared at Marcus who just stared back for a moment before leaning back in his chair.

"So what happened last night?" He asked, his face still had no emotion on it.

"Last night I told Mindy the truth, I expected her to be furious, and she was, until I got to the part about my dad. After I told her about that, she just hugged me, she told me how sorry she was." Dave stated and then gave a little grin as he continued. "It was right then that I realized why I cared about her so much. I've never been in love before, but if what I feel for her isn't love, then it's pretty damn close."

"You realize she's fifteen?" He asked, still staring, his face was stone.

"Yeah I know that she's a little young, but it's not like I asked her to have sex with me, or anything, I couldn't care less about that stuff right now. I just had to tell her the truth, she really is the only person left in my life, that I can depend on." Dave stated with conviction.

"Marcus, I feel the same. I don't care about our ages, I could care even less about other things, I just want to be with Dave, I don't care about much else."

"Mindy... you're still young, you don't know what you want yet, you can't" Marcus stated.

"Marcus... I'm old enough to know that being a hero comes with risks. I'm old enough to know that tomorrow I could go out there and get beaten, arrested, raped, or killed. I'm old enough to realize if anything ever happened to me as Hit Girl, it could cause problems for you. And I'm old enough to realize that if I do die tomorrow, I'd rather die, without any regrets." Mindy stated with an air of maturity.

"Mindy..." Marcus started, but he stopped when he couldn't find the words to sway her to his way of thinking.

"Mr. Williams..." Dave started, "I know you have no reason to believe me, but I just want you to know that I regret getting Mindy involved."

"Dave!" Mindy whined as she gave him a confused look

"You regret what?" Marcus asked with a great deal of curiosity.

"I regret getting her involved in my plans for revenge." Dave stated plainly.

"That's all?" Marcus asked scanning Dave's eyes.

"I don't want Mindy to get hurt and, if I could, I would take down Chris on my own..." Dave said with a shrug, before locking eyes with Marcus. "I know what you want me to say. But I made Mindy a promise that I wouldn't lie to her anymore, so I'm not gonna, I love her and I'm never going to regret that."

"Even if it means she'll follow you into the gates of hell?" Marcus asked with a serious look.

Dave and Marcus just stared at each other, scanning each others eyes for a hint of emotion. Dave broke eye contact first as he realized what Marcus meant. Not only could he get Mindy killed if he let her help him, if he were to die, she would dedicate herself to avenging him, she would become just like her father, he could be the thing that pushes her to her death.

"I..." Dave began. Mindy stared at him watching his confidence begin to waiver.

"If I die tomorrow I don't want to go with any regrets!" Mindy stated to the two of them. "I chose to fight, and I would follow you to the gates of hell if I needed to. We're partners, Dave, you and I. Nothing is ever going to separate us, not even death."

"I know." Dave replied as some of his confidence returned. "How is it you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

"It's because I'm an amazingly hot superhero who also happens to be your best friend." Mindy replied with a smirk.

Marcus stared at the two of them for a few moments, analyzing them. They were both smiling at each other, Marcus had seen those looks before, he could vividly remember those looks whenever he saw Damon and his wife together.

Marcus let out a long sigh before beginning. "Look, I want you two to know something..." He said as the two looked over at him.

"You could have lied, you could have left something out, you could have just told me about Chris D'amico, or just about The Fallen, you didn't have to explain everything that's been going on, but you did. I wanna thank you for your honesty." Marcus stated, looking at Dave. "You didn't have to tell me about your feelings for Mindy, you could have left that part out, but you didn't, you told me the whole truth, and I appreciate it. I guess if the two of you are going to be out there fighting crime, it's good to know that you care so much for each other."

"Thanks Marcus." Mindy stated warmly.

"In regards to any relationship," He stated with authority. "I know I can't stop the two of you from doing whatever you want, and I'd be a fool to try, so here's what I'm gonna do. You two can go ahead and be lovers. But I'm not gonna take any responsibility for any trouble you two might get into, in the pursuit of this relationship. I don't wanna know about it, and under no circumstances will there be any pregnancies until your eighteen. Keep it out from under my roof, stay safe, and keep me out of it. Deal?"

"Deal!" Mindy replied, reaching out to give Marcus a hug.

"Now. What do you want me to do with this information?" Marcus asked.

Dave sat there with a smile on his face for a few moments. He was imagining how his dad would have reacted to this news. He was pretty sure that his father's reaction would mirror Marcus'

"Well first and foremost, we wanted you to be aware, so that on a moments notice we can let you know if you're in danger, plus now you'll be more alert." He stated

"I can understand that, but what else do you want me to do with this info?" Marcus asked as a suspicious look crept across his face.

"For now, we just need you to keep an eye on the police." Mindy stated as she leaned on the table. "We need to know if they're planing anything."

"Why?" Marcus asked with even more suspicion.

"Don't play dumb Marcus, we all know there's dirty cops, and it wouldn't be a stretch for some of them to be on Chris' payroll." Mindy answered with a little concern. "You kept my daddy in the loop, I'm just asking that you extend the same courtesy to us."

Marcus let out a long sigh, and began messaging his temples, "Okay... I can do that." Marcus finally stated, leaning back in his chair.

"Thanks Marcus." Mindy smiled at him.

"Look, just promise me that you'll be careful and watch each others backs." Marcus said, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Promise." Both Mindy and Dave said at the same time.

After a few moments Marcus finally spoke again. "So what are you two up to today?"

"We're just going to work on our training and stuff," Mindy replied with a shrug.

"No school?" Marcus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's Friday, so I figure, the three day weekend will give us the time we need to prepare. We'll stay home Monday night and then, start up patrol again on Tuesday." Mindy explained to the both of them.

Marcus let out another sigh, as he examined the two of them one last time. After a few moments Marcus stood, and began heading towards to door. "I expect you home for dinner tonight." He stated to Mindy, as they walked him to the front door.

"I'll call you later." Mindy promised as she hugged him.

"Do that." Marcus stated as he glanced over at Dave.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Williams." Dave said, cheerfully.

"You keep an eye on her." He said pointing at Dave. "If anything happens to her, I'm blaming you."

"Right, yes sir." Dave said with a nod.

Mindy just rolled her eyes as she shut the door behind him. She stared at Dave for a few seconds before saying, "That went a lot better than I thought it would."

"Yeah, I thought he'd be much more upset." Dave stated in reply.

"He must have been telling the truth when he said it was a measure of comfort to know that we care so much for each other." Mindy stated with a warm smile.

"Yeah, I guess," Dave stated with a shrug. "So what should we do now?"

"Let's get some breakfast and then head over to my headquarters, I think it's time to ramp up our training regiment." Mindy replied as she turned to walk into the kitchen.

"Sounds good to me. I could really use the work out. Just remember to take it easy so my stitches don't come undone again." He said as he followed her.

"Right. So you have any food left in this place?' Mindy asked as she surveyed the fridge, there wasn't a lot of food left in it, just some lunch meat, and some milk. Not much food in the pantry either.

"No, not much. I've mostly been eating out, since...'then'." Dave finished with a sad smile.

"Sorry." Mindy said in a whisper as he looked over at her.

"It's fine." Dave stated as he turned to leave the kitchen. "Do you want to just stop at a diner or something?"

"Sure we can do that." Mindy answered.

The two went out to Dave's dads car, which he had been using since his death. "God... how much does it suck to use this thing?" She asked, out of curiosity.

"Not a lot... I mean, it kinda sucks cuz it reminds me of him, but I think it's better to just deal with the memories and use it." Dave replied, as a little sadness, crept across him face.

Mindy saw this and immediately felt guilty for mentioning it.

Dave noticed her reaction, and immediately wanted to apologize, he had a better idea though. Dave stepped forward and kissed her instead.

"What was that for?" She asked with a smile, as he pulled away.

Dave pulled Mindy close to him, resting his hand on the small of her back, before saying. "One day, I wont feel like I've been kicked in the gut, when anyone mentions my dad. But I'm never going to get over how I feel every time I see that look on your face."

Mindy smiled up at him, looking deep into his eyes, "You're such a sweetheart."

"Yeah well I need to soften you up so you don't whoop my ass at training." Dave replied with a laugh.

"Oh, don't be a baby, Dave. I'm sure you can take whatever I can dish out." Mindy replied in a mocking tone.

Dave just let out a nervous laugh, as he released her and they got into the car. "Okay Dave. Let's talk a few details, while we're driving." Mindy stated, as they pulled out into the street.

"Like what?" Dave asked.

"Well. I get that you want to improve your swordsmanship, but is there anything else?" Mindy asked as she began playing with different tactics and skill sets someone like Dave could utilize.

"Well, improving my sword skills, would be nice, but I also want to work on speed. I want to be able to move much quicker in the costume."

"We'll have to revamp the costume a bit to focus more on mobility and reflexes, but that's doable. Anything else?" Mindy stated as she began to brainstorm ways of making Dave's costume just as tough but much lighter.

"Is there anything that you think I should work on?" Dave asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"One minute..." Mindy replied deep in thought, as she imagined The Fallen diving into a group of thugs and cutting into them. She was trying to play out the fight like it would actually happen, based off The Fallen's skill set.

"I've got it!" Mindy stated gleefully.

"What?" Dave asked with a little surprise.

"We'll work on your swordsmanship, speed, and... I'm going to teach you how to use throwing knives." Mindy replied, as she remembered a scene she had watched when Dave was playing Assassins Creed. The main character was in a sword fight with a guard, he killed him just as another rounded the corner, and as that guard rounded the corner, Dave switched to throwing knives and let one fly.

"That's exactly the kind of skill set you need." Mindy thought to herself.

"...Hey... Earth to Mindy? You still in there?" Dave asked after a few seconds.

"Yeah. So what do you think?" Mindy asked with a little pride.

"Speed, swords, and knives, sounds cool." Dave replied coolly.

"So where are we going for breakfast?" Dave asked, with little interest.

"Let's just pick something up and head to the headquarters. I'm eager to get started." Mindy replied, as she began playing more scenarios in her head.

"Okay." Dave said plainly as he continued driving. It was a moment before he looked over and saw how deep in thought, Mindy was. He couldn't help admiring how beautiful she looked, but his moment of serenity was cut short when a horrible thought passed into his head,

"She said she would get back at you for being The Fallen." He thought, with a horrified look. "She's going to run your ass 'till midnight."

Dave just let out a long sigh as he continued to drive, he couldn't help feeling that things were going a little too well. It was that kind of sickening feeling that every single comic book hero got right before the shit hit the fan.

_Okay so it wasn't as short as I predicted, you can expect an update in the near future, but It might be a little longer than normal because Rome II total war just came out and I don't know if I be able to tear myself away. Anyway let me know what you think and no that all reviews are read and are given the proper amount of attention, if there critical reviews I take what I learn from them and improve, if there questions I'll try to answer them in the story or in the authors notes, and finally if they just love, then I spend some time making the "Oh You." Face. _


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay well... I tried. I tried to do something other than typing stories, and you know what, it. Didn't. Work! I tried so hard to enjoy the awesome new Total war game, that just came out, I tried. But alas, I am weak, I couldn't stop thinking about my kickass story, so I had to come back and type another one up. I'm going to try and make this one my longest yet, I hope I can. I really appreciate all the support you guys have given. I love your reviews with a passion, I like to read over them and it get's me pumped for more typing, I could write all day long if I got a review every three or four hours. Now with that being said, feel free to comment on my work, let me know what you like and dislike, among other things, feedback is, and always will be appreciated. So let us begin, oh, and one last thing I went back and corrected a lot of grammar mistakes in the last few chapters, I also changed a few sentences, but otherwise nothing big in the last update.** *Warning* Possible adult stuff ahead, you have been warned!**_

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 8.

… Dave felt himself slam into the ground with a great deal of force, he felt the wind get knocked out of him, he brought his hands up to fight off his attacker. His foe, however had an arm firmly wrapped around his neck and they weren't letting go. Dave knew he had lost this fight, so he did the only thing he could think to do, he extended his arm and tapped out.

Mindy released Dave from the choke hold, she had him in, and rolled away from him, letting out a breathless laugh as she stood.

"Come on, Dave, this is getting a little too easy." Mindy chided as she watched Dave writhe around on the floor.

It had been three days since she and Dave started training again, and Mindy couldn't be happier. They spent most of their time together, and Mindy loved it. Waking up, saying goodbye to Marcus than heading over to the headquarters to meet Dave for a full day of training, it was awesome. The training was really helping her get a beat on just how much work they needed to do. Mindy was still getting back to the top of her game, and even though Dave had been improving, she could tell that he was mentally and emotionally distracted. Dave was obviously still trying to bury his feelings, he really wanted to just focus on Chris, and yet every time he tried, he would start thinking about his dad and he would lose his focus.

Mindy had quickly come to realize that she had to be careful with mentioning Dave's dad, he was still reeling from his death after all, and he was easily set off. The previous day, she wanted Dave to be more focused, so she tried to tell him that if he didn't stay focused, more people like his dad could die.

She knew immediately, that was the wrong thing to do. Dave got pissed and told her that if she thought that it was his fault, she should just come out and say it. Afterwards, he stormed off. She waited for about an hour, to let him cool down, before she went to apologize. It turns out, that he had just sat outside the headquarters, that whole time. In the end, he was the one who apologized for flipping out, and he promised he wouldn't do it again. Mindy was left worried by this train of events, as she realized a pattern was emerging.

Dave was easily set off, when it came to his dad, and yet when it came to Mindy, he was trying really hard to always be loving. Mindy found it sweat at first, but after he flipped out, she realized that not only was he suffering for the loss of his dad but he was blaming himself. Mindy had no idea how to help him, all she could think to do was tell him that it wasn't his fault, she knew that wouldn't be enough.

Dave was blaming himself for his father's death, and Mindy quickly realized that it wasn't for some stupid douche reason, that was actually out of Dave's control. It was legitimate guilt. He had a reason and he actually believed it.

Mindy knew that Dave would never admit that he felt guilty, he already felt bad for making Mindy a part of his plot for revenge, regardless of how stupid it was.

She had tried to talk to him about it when they started training on Friday, but Dave just deflected, the questions with humor.

"Dammit!" Dave shouted as he lay of the floor.

"I told you to never lower your guard." Mindy replied with a shrug.

"That doesn't make it suck any less!" he shouted in reply.

"Take your balls outta your purse, man up, and get over it." Mindy taunted him, as he rose to his feet.

Dave stood for a second, then started to stretch as he grumbled some things under his breath.

"Oh quit your bitching, Dave." Mindy chided as she turned to get some water.

Dave just let out a loud sigh, as he turned and went to lean against one of the walls. "Why don't we take a break for a little while?" Dave stated with another sigh. Both he and Mindy were pouring with sweat, they had been training since 8 am, it was almost noon.

"Fine." Mindy stated, as she took a drink of water. Mindy examined Dave for a second before starting to smile at him.

"What?" Dave asked staring back at her,

"Your shirts, torn." Mindy stated, keeping her grin. Dave's shirt was torn along one of the seams on his shoulder.

"Oh man." Dave stated as he examined it. "That's the second one!"

"Maybe you should wear bigger shirts." Mindy suggested.

"Yeah well its not like I've had a lot of time to go clothes shopping in the last few weeks." Dave replied with some annoyance.

"Oh, quit whining! We can do some clothes shopping later." Mindy stated as Dave started to remove his shirt.

Mindy's eyes were once again drawn to his body. He was even more buff than the last time she saw him, shirtless.

Mindy felt herself playing with the end of her shirt as her eyes went over Dave's body again and again. She felt the butterflies return once again, just like they have every time the two kissed. This time, however, it was different, they seemed to flutter about much quicker than they ever had before.

"Hey Dave?" Mindy asked, Dave looked over at her, she noticed him visibly recoil, when he looked at her. Mindy's eyes went wide at that.

"What? Whats wrong?" She asked with a little worry.

"It's nothing, it's just... your face is really red." Dave stated with a little chuckle.

Mindy felt her cheeks grow hotter as she turned to look at herself in a nearby mirror, when she saw herself she understood why he was taken back, she was noticeably red in the face.

"So what did you need?" Dave asked breaking the silence.

"Um... I just wanted to ask you about a few things." Mindy stated with a little embarrassment.

"Like what?" Dave asked as he walked past her to grab a water bottle and drink from it thirstily.

"Well things that I can't ask Marcus about." Dave just stared at her blankly.

"...Look I don't have any girls, in my life, that I can talk to about these things..." Mindy started but stopped as she saw Dave's eyes widen.

"Don't fucking do that too. Marcus did that when we had the period talk." Mindy stated with a little anger. "You can't even imagine how freaking horrifying that is. You just start bleeding and you have no idea why. I had to tell Marcus about it, and he gave me that exact same damn look. Do you realize how awkward it was to talk about that sort of thing with him?"

"Right...um... Mindy I don't know if I'm the best person to ask those sorta questions." Dave stated nervously.

"Well...it's either you or Marcus and I'm not going to endure that train wreck with Marcus again, so it has to be you." Mindy stated still trapped between embarrassment and anger.

"Okay. Okay. Don't get angry. I'll answer your questions, just don't get mad if it's just as awkward asking me, as it is Marcus." Dave replied, as he sat down in the center of the room.

"Look I know it's awkward, but I don't have anyone else to ask, and you're my best friend, I'm kinda hedging my bet that you'll at least answer my questions, honestly." Mindy stated, sounding apologetic, as she sat in front of him.

"No, it's fine. Go ahead and ask your questions, and I'll try to answer them." Dave stated with a sigh.

"Okay... so... this ones really awkward. For a while now, whenever I see you... without your shirt I start to feel..." Mindy appeared to be having difficulty finding the words to make this exchange as pleasant as could.

Mindy was searching for more words when she noticed that Dave had brought up his hands to hide a grin. "What the hell is he smiling at?" She thought to herself.

"What the hell is so funny?" She asked, her face somehow got redder.

Dave burst out laughing, it took him a few moments to compose himself. When he finished laughing he finally spoke. "Okay... so this is just as bad as I thought it would be."

"What? Why are you laughing?" Mindy asked as confusion descended upon her.

"God... Okay... Before I answer, I have to ask, if you want the mature answer or the real one?" Dave stated trying to hold back more laughter.

"Just... give me the real answer." She replied still confused.

"Okay." Dave stated shaking his head. "You want me." He laughed.

"What?" Mindy asked, confused.

"Unless that feeling, feels like you're about to vomit, then... yeah. You want me." Dave replied, a big grin on his face.

"What?" Mindy asked again.

"You. Are. Attracted. To. Me." Dave stated keeping his smile.

"What the hell was so funny about that?" Mindy asked, bewildered. "Why couldn't you just say that?"

"I found it funny that out of all the horrible questions you could have asked, your biggest worry was this." Dave stated with another chuckle.

"Hey! Screw you! I had no idea what was happening. It scared the shit outta me." Mindy said as a different kind of embarrassment set in.

"Look Mindy. Everybody feels like that. I mean... I feel like that when I see you." Dave offered to make amends.

"You do?" Mindy asked curiously.

"Yeah, that's just how you feel when you see someone you're attracted to. It's pretty stock, in comparison to the other things you could be feeling."

"Really?" Mindy asked as she began to feel better.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm sure that what you feel, when you see me, is what your mother felt when she looked at your dad." Dave stated compassionately.

"You think?" Mindy asked as she smiled at him.

"Yeah." Dave answered with a nod. "So... what other questions do you have?"

"Well. That one was the most personal, but there were some questions I wanted to ask about sex." Mindy stated, plainly

Dave's smile vanished, and a 'son of a bitch' look descended on his face.

"So what do you want to know?" Dave asked his face still frozen with that look.

"Well... I guess my first question is... well whats the big deal with sex, anyway? I mean I've seen sluts on the streets doing it, and they don't seem to be enjoying themselves. So why does everyone make such a big deal out of it? I get that if you have sex you can have a baby, and all that stuff..."

"Um..." Dave stated with a deer caught in the headlights look.

"I guess what I'm asking is, why does everyone treat sex like it's the best thing in the world?" Mindy asked, curiously.

"Okay, first thing, those prostitutes aren't enjoying it, because it's a job... and by now there's probably no tread left on the tires, but that's besides the point. The reason why everyone treats sex like it's so amazing is that... if you're with the right person, it can be." Dave stated with a little embarrassment.

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked, noticing his embarrassment.

"Like when I was with Katie... that was special, because I really liked her, while when I was with Night Bitch, It was still good, just not nearly as special. It's all about who you're with. If you're with someone you care about, then sex can be the most amazing thing in the world. While if you're not with someone you care about, it might just feel like work." Dave stated gaining some of his composure back.

"I still don't quite get it, I mean, I've seen those prostitute's with the johns, and they were doing a lot of gross shit. Like putting the guy's dicks in their mouths." Mindy said with a little disgust.

"Okay... you should probably just disregard anything you learned from watching prostitutes. And the whole 'dick in their mouths' thing isn't really sex." Dave replied.

"Okay so... disregarding all that... what makes it so 'special'?" Mindy asked with air quotes.

"To that question I have to reiterate my earlier question. Mature or real answer?" Dave asked with a shrug and a grin.

Mindy stared at him for a second before stating, "Real."

"It feels so god damn amazing!" Dave stated with a little excitement.

"What... okay, maybe I need the mature answer too." Mindy replied trying to determine what he meant.

"Look..." He paused as he thought of a good way to explain.

"Haven't you ever... you know... masturbated before?" Dave asked, his face red with embarrassment.

"What? No! ...I thought only guys did that." She stated with a little surprise.

"...Really?" Dave stated his eyes wide in surprise. "You have never... Holy crap!" Dave finished with a 'wow' face.

"Wait! Did you say you thought only guys masturbated?" Dave asked after a few seconds.

"Yeah?" Mindy stated, as Dave just continued to stare at her with amazement.

"Why?" Dave asked.

"Well I just..." She stopped as she realized how embarrassing her answer was going to be. She let out a sigh as she continued. "I've just never heard anyone joke about a girl masturbating, before."

"Wow... That is impossible. How can you not know, that you can masturbate." Dave stopped as he was suddenly struck with the realization of who he was having this conversation with.

"Look... do all girls do it?" Mindy asked, not caring about her ignorance showing.

"Some girls do it more than guys... My god. You must have amazing self control." Dave stated with amazement.

"Oh. Um. Okay." Mindy stated her face beat red with embarrassment.

"Well I guess if you've never masturbated, than you wouldn't know what the big deal about sex was." Dave said with a nervous grin.

Dave just stared at Mindy, she looked like she was deep in thought. He felt bad for her, most people learned this stuff on their own, or you kinda learn it from parents or siblings, or friends. Mindy didn't have any of those, she had Marcus, but this department was out of his league. The only other person she had was Dave, he didn't know how to help her. Dave was fully aware of how difficult coming to terms with your sexuality can be.

"Dave..." Mindy began. Dave knew what she wanted to ask him.

"Mindy.." Dave started a he crawled over to pull her into an embrace. "I know. I know how hard it can be, at you age I spent all my time thinking about girls, I know it can be tough not knowing what to do about it."

"Dave, do you want to...?" She asked as she kissed him.

Dave knew what she meant. If this were a few weeks ago, he would have jumped at the chance to engage in sexual activity with a girl even half as beautiful as Mindy. But this wasn't a few weeks ago, He wasn't the same person, and this wasn't some girl, this was Mindy, his best friend. He loved her, more than anything else.

Dave pulled back from her and brushed the hair out of her eyes, before starting. "Mindy... I think we should slow down."

"What do you mean?' Mindy asked, as a small twinge of fear shot up her spine.

"I just think maybe we should take things slowly." Dave stated with his usual dorky grin.

"Dave... We could both be dead tomorrow! I don't think we have time to take things slow. Besides we're a couple, you said that this is what couples do." Mindy stated sounding a bit anxious.

"If sex is as great as you make it out to be then I'd like to try it, and I can't think of anyone better than you." She continued.

"Mindy... believe me. I would love to make love to you. It's just that... I think we should take things slow." Dave stated again, this time with a little bit more compassion.

"Dave! If this is about my age..." Mindy started, slightly upset.

Dave kissed her deeply, mid sentence.

"This has nothing to do with your age, I couldn't care less. I love you and I just want to be sure that this is what you want." Dave finished, caressing her cheek.

"What are you talking about?" Mindy said in a disappointed tone.

"Look, I can live with you just being my friend, if we were to stop this now, I'm sure we could still be friends, but if we take this further and it doesn't work out... it could ruin our friendship." Dave finished with a little sadness.

"Dave." Mindy let out a little whine as she nuzzled into his neck.

"I really want to take this relationship further." Mindy stated after a few moments, "I don't want to wait, I know what I want, and it's you, Dave."

"Mindy..." Dave stated with a sigh, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Okay, how about I make you a deal."

"A deal?" Mindy asked, pulling away and looking at him.

"Yeah... I'll give you some over the clothes action, and if, after your sixteenth birthday, you still believe this is what you want, then we can start considering, sex. How does that sound?" Dave asked with a smile, as he ran his hand through her hair.

Mindy thought about that for a few moments, her birthday was a few months away, Mindy didn't like the thought of having to wait that long, but Dave was offering some other things in exchange. Mindy was eager to try those things. "Okay... you have a deal..." Mindy stated with a professional look.

"So..." Mindy started after a moment. "let's see some of this 'over the clothes' action." Mindy stated smiling seductively.

Dave smiled back at her, thinking to himself for a second. "Okay." he said. "Just follow my lead."

Dave lifted Mindy up onto his lap, as he pulled her into a deep kiss.

Mindy felt Dave's tongue intertwine with hers. She felt his hands slide down to her hips, as his hands traveled down her body, she rose up off his laps, onto her knees. After a few moments, she felt his hands cup her ass, and after another moment, he gave it a light squeeze.

Mindy felt a twinge shoot up her spine, it was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. "That felt nice." Mindy purred into his ear.

"Yeah. Well then, I think your going to love this." Dave purred in reply as he gave her ass another squeeze, before slowly running his hands over her thighs, then up across her belly, he lingered there for a few seconds, as he silently admired her firm toned abs.

After a moment he let his hands travel up to her breasts. As his hands came to rest on her breasts, Dave coaxed another kiss out of Mindy, and while he was kissing her he gave her breasts a light squeeze, Dave smiled into the kiss as Mindy let out a small moan.

"If you like that, you'll love this." Dave whispered as he found her nipples through her shirt and bra, and gave them a little pinch.

Mindy, let out another moan... as another jolt of pleasure shot up her spine, after a moments, she shot to her feet.

"Turn around!" Mindy commanded.

"Why?" Dave asked as he turned around.

"You said over the clothes. I only need one layer, for that rule to apply." Mindy stated as she threw her shirt and yoga pants off, then she stripped off her bra and panties before sliding her shirt and pants back on. Mindy threw her underwear into her duffle bag. Before walking back over to Dave.

She stopped when she was half way too him, she noticed a dampness between her legs. Mindy's face started to get red, she had no idea what had happened, she tried to turn but as she did, she noticed Dave turn to face her.

"Something the matter?" He asked.

"Um..." Mindy stated with a blush.

Dave noticed that she had her leg turned slightly, almost like she had to go to the bathroom. Dave knew exactly what was happening to her.

"I think I need to go to the bathroom." Mindy said as she turned to leave. "I'll be right back."

"Hey." She heard Dave say as he got up and quickly walked up behind her. "Where are you running off too?"

"The bathroom... I think I..." Dave cut her off, as he wrapped his arms around her.

"That feeling... that you're feeling... down here..." Dave whispered into her ear as he slid his hand between her legs. "It's exactly what you're supposed to be feeling."

Mindy let out a moan as Dave began to run his fingers along her slit. He started to pull her back towards the wall. Once they got there, Dave pulled Mindy down to the ground and sat her between his legs and leaned her against his chest. He started to kiss her neck as he continued to message her wet mound.

"God." Mindy moaned after a few moments, she felt waves of pleasure pulsing through her body. Mindy continued to moan as Dave used his free hand to begin playing with her nipples.

Dave had to use every ounce of self control he had, to not pull her clothes off. He just tried to ignore the clothes, he focused on just getting her off. Of course he also couldn't escape his own raging hormones. He was so turned on by Mindy's moans that he was sure she could feel him pressing against her.

A few more moments, went by, before Mindy started to moan louder and louder. Suddenly she grabbed the hand that was between her legs.

"Sorry... I... think... I really... have to actually... use... the bathroom... this time." Mindy gasped out between breaths.

Dave just smiled as he pulled her hand back and continued to pleasure her. "It's fine." He insisted as he quickly brought her to her orgasm.

Mindy nearly screamed out as waves of pleasure cascaded over her. She arched her back, as a powerful wave of pleasure shot up her spine. Dave grabbed her head and turned it toward his so that he could kiss her deeply.

As she came down, from her first orgasm, she pulled away form the kiss and melted into Dave's chest. After a few moments she looked up at Dave, who was smiling back at her.

"That was amazing." She sighed, high as a kite.

Mindy just continued to stare at Dave for a few moments before stating with a smile. "So.. that's what all the hype is about."

"Oh... you have no idea." Dave laughed as he pulled her up to kiss him again.

"Are you serious …sex is actually better than that?" Mindy asked as she pulled back.

"Look, all I'm going to say is that, take what you felt just now, and know that sex feels even more amazing!" Dave laughed in reply.

"Dammit Dave! Why the hell do you have to tease me like this?" Mindy whined. "Now I really want to have sex."

"Deals a deal, little lady. You're just gonna have to wait." Dave whispered.

"Dammit." Mindy stated as she turned around, straddled his lap, wrapped her arms around him, and buried her head in his neck.

"So..." Mindy started after a few minutes of cuddling. "How often can I do that, I mean can we just do this kinda thing all day?" She asked with a curious smile.

Dave let out a laugh as he looked up at the ceiling. "What have I done?" He thought to himself.

"You can pretty much do it all day... I mean you've gotta wait, for a little bit after each orgasm cuz, girls and guys get really sensitive after an orgasm, but otherwise you can pretty much have sex all day." Dave stated as he remembered a story he had heard. "Just don't go over board, and remember to take breaks, I heard this story of this one guy who had like forty-two orgasms in a day and he died."

"Are you shitting me?" Mindy asked with a little surprise.

"Nope, but don't worry, that guy was going to the extreme. Most of the time, sex should only take, anywhere from a half an hour to an hour and half. And I'm counting foreplay, and shit like that. Any less time and usually one partner or the other isn't really satisfied, any more time and you start running the risk of hurting yourself or your partner." Dave explained.

"Wow." Mindy stated as she started to inspect her pants, they were soaked, "So um... I think I need to change."

"I should probably wash my hand. Otherwise your scent is gonna drive me crazy." Dave stated as the two of them got to their feet.

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked curiously as he walked over to the sink.

"I'll tell you later. I need to get my mind off of you for a second." Dave stated with a smile.

"Why?" Mindy asked curiously as she dug through her duffle bag for an extra set of clothes.

"Otherwise my dick might explode." Dave stated sarcastically.

"Seriously?" Mindy asked with a little concern, unable to tell if he was kidding.

"No." He replied with a grin. "I just... you know how guys get hard, when their horny?"

"Yeah." Mindy replied.

"Well... right now, the only thing running through my head is you. And that's not going to make my boner go away anytime soon." Dave replied with another laugh.

"Well... Is there something I can do about it?" Mindy asked with a little smile.

"Not without violating our deal." Dave replied with a sigh. "Don't worry about it. I'll just deal with it later."

"What? Oh, come on Dave. Now I feel kinda guilty." Mindy whined as she found her clothes.

"Don't. Tonight I can go home and spend all night thinking of you without feeling guilty." Dave replied whimsically.

Mindy was about to laugh when a horrible thought passed her mind, it was Dave's house on fire. Mindy stopped and thought to herself for a second wondering where that thought came from when suddenly it hit her.

"Dave! You can't go home!" Mindy said, breaking the sexual tension.

"What? Why not?" Dave asked, turning to look at her with a confused look.

"You said Chris knows that you were Kickass. That means that he knows where you live too." Mindy explained to him.

"Oh shit!" Dave stated, as his shoulder sagged. "I would have never even thought of that."

"It just hit me. You've kept him so busy with The Fallen, I guess he hasn't had time to go after you." Mindy stated as she stepped toward him.

"Well shit. I can't go home now." Dave stated with obvious, worry.

"I'll take you to safe house C, you can stay there." Mindy stated as she reached him.

"Alright..." Dave stated after a moments pause. "Let's head to my house so I can grab everything I need, and then we'll go to the Safe house."

"Right." Mindy stated as she turned to head to the bathroom, so she could change.

As he watched her leave, Dave felt, for the first time, that it was a good thing that he told her the truth. Once again, she had probably saved his life.

_Okay I hope you enjoyed the chapter. And I want to thank, adm-frb, for his review of my last chapter, I would have never thought of the house thing, if not for you. So thank you. I also appreciate anyone who let's me know about and error I make in the story, I haven't read the comics, so I'm basically going off movie knowledge, so any note on correction are appreciated, anyway let me know what you guys think and look forward to the next chapter._


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay so... I guess my addiction can't be sated, I cannot stop. Please justify my addiction with reviews. Let me know what you think. I'm giving you another chapter so please let me know what you think. And to everyone who has read, favorite, followed, or reviewed my work, I thank you._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 9

Dave sat deep in thought. He was in Safe-house C, it had been a week since he moved in, and he still wasn't used to living there. The safe house was pretty bare, it was located in a three room apartment, in Queens. The walls were bare, and the rooms were small. It had a small kitchenette in the main room, then it had a small bedroom, and a small bathroom. The apartment was pretty small, but the size really didn't matter much, seeing as how there wasn't anything in the apartment.

The only things in the apartment were a couch, a bed, and a fridge, plus whatever Dave brought with him when he moved in. The damn place also had a small computer in the kitchen, but not much else.

Dave ended up only bringing things that he needed from his house, that included his costume, some clothes, and whatever money was in his house. It wasn't much, he had about two grand to his name.

Even though the conditions weren't great, Dave wasn't really worried. He felt safe there, Mindy was the only person who knew where he lived now, plus the Safe house had about five grand, plus ten guns, hidden beneath the floor boards. The door also had a security pad, so that the apartment could be locked. Mindy told him that she didn't use this safe-house often, it was mostly just a place to lay low.

Even though he felt safe there, it didn't feel right, it wasn't his home.

He did find it easier to live in the safe house, because there was nothing here that reminded him of his dad. It was surreal to think about how the worst part about living in his real house, was the thing that he missed most, now.

* * *

-Begin flashback-

Dave decided that he didn't want to think about his dad right now, so he started thinking about Mindy instead. After they moved his stuff into safe-house C. Mindy showed him all the secret stashes and how to set the security code. Afterwards, the two went out for dinner and just had an enjoyable night together, they just hung out.

The next day however they had school, Dave went to school that day, though he only got about halfway through the day, when he promptly declared "Fuck It!" In the center of a hallway, and left. Mindy called him during gym, and he told her that he had come to the conclusion that leaving his home would eventually draw Chris' suspicion so he decided he should just stop going to school, he basically decided it would be best to just cut out all of the social aspects of his life.

Mindy tried to talk him out of it, but he simply told her that not only would he not miss anyone from school but they'd also be a lot safer if he wasn't around them. She eventually gave up, when she finally saw the logic in his decision. Mindy still felt bad for him but, she still relented.

After he talked with Mindy that day, Dave just sat in her headquarters thinking about anyone who would even miss him at school. He still saw Marty, as Battle Guy, and they talked a lot on the phone, Todd had basically stopped talking to them after Dave and Marty shot down his superhero names. And he already spent all day, everyday with Mindy. So yeah. Walking away from school was the easiest thing he had ever done.

Dave immediately used his new freedom to his advantage, he spent all the school hours, in Mindy's headquarters practicing his sword skills, he also practiced knife throwing, Mindy had shown him how to do it and he was starting to get the hang of it.

Dave spent everyday since then, practicing his moves, training his body, and sharpening his skills.

He would go over to the headquarters everyday at around 9am and train until Mindy arrived shortly after 4 or 5pm each day. Marcus still drove her home, and she felt bad for always being away from him so she spent a few hours with him and ate an early dinner with him, before heading to the headquarters to train with Dave until 8 or 9pm, then the two would suit up and hit the streets.

The day after he moved into the safe-house, was their first night back out on patrol, since the incident with Chris. It felt good to be back out in costume, doing what they did best.

Dave was enjoying his new armor, He and Mindy began doing research after he told her his secret. They searched for lighter or less bulky alternatives, to what Dave was already using. It was fun to look through websites, hunt through forums, and ask around manufacturers web sites.

After a while Dave was struck with an idea about a new form of head gear he could wear. He ended up calling a custom armor designer and had it made, all in all, it took them only two days to make it and send it, Dave was able to speed up the process by sending them his head dimensions that he got from the mold he took for his current headgear.

They also found him a smaller lighter form of body armor. It was just as tough but not nearly a bulky.

After a few days, Dave's new Head gear had arrived at the Headquarters, it arrived while Mindy was at school, though by this time Dave was basically camped out there all day anyway. He was ecstatic, when he got it. He tore the packaging apart, as quickly as he could and was soon engrossed in admiring the craftsmanship of his new headpiece. That day his new body armor also arrived, Dave felt like a kid at Christmas.

When Mindy finally arrived at the headquarters that day, she found Dave in full costume practicing with his swords.

"Whats up?" She asked, as she threw her duffel bag on the floor.

"My stuff came today." He replied in his, The Fallen voice.

"Yeah? Let me see." She said, as he pulled down his hood and turned to look at her.

The first thing she noticed was that he definitely looked thinner around the midsection, he was in full gear, so his new bulletproof vest was covered by a black shirt, but he did look thinner. So that was a good sign.

Her eyes traveled upward and she finally got a good look at his new headgear. It was a metal face mask, she recognized the design pretty quickly. It was basically the signature face-mask worn by the guys from "Army of Two". It covered all the front of his face, the top, the sides and the upper half of the back of his head. The only part of his head that wasn't covered by armor was one or two inches above the base of his skull. The mask had Velcro straps over that part, that were used to keep it on. It also had a Velcro strap that secured under his chin. The mask itself was gray, and made of bulletproof material, it looked supremely badass, especially when he pulled his hood back up over it. Now that the mask didn't look so fucking abnormal, he didn't need the balaclava anymore.

"Cool." Mindy stated with an approving nod.

"Yeah. I'm going to spray paint the mask black, and probably look into getting some colored contacts so nobody recognizes my eye color." Dave stated as he pulled his hood back up

"That's a good idea." Mindy stated. "Have you tested it out yet?" she asked gesturing to the helmet.

"Yep. I took one of your practice dummies out to a field earlier, put it on the dummy and took a few shots at it. This things, pretty reliable." Dave stated as he started to swing his swords around again.

Dave almost always practiced in costume, it helped him quickly get used to the costume, and it ensured that when he mastered a skill he wouldn't have to refine it later while wearing the costume. Dave kept swinging his swords around, practicing his moves, he was getting better every day, he was always willing to learn more about the use of swords, and he would spend hours practicing anything from moves, to cool ways to unsheathe them.

He also spent a lot of time practicing with the new weapons, Mindy outfitted him with. She told him that he needed to be more versatile in combat, so they ended up switching his dual ninja swords to longer variants, before, each sword was about two feet, in length, they switched too three foot long, dual ninja swords.

She also had him add an 18 in. combat machete as a secondary weapon, he had it sheathed horizontally on the small of his back, she also gave him a combat knife as a backup weapon which he had sheathed around his right shin. She had been training him how to use throwing knives, so he had four of those strapped to either side of his waist. He also had a handgun, a 22 caliber Ruger SR22 strapped to his left shin. Mindy also stressed the need to have a non-deadly weapon, just in case so, Dave kept with him two telescopic batons.

In the end Dave ended up getting black contacts, which made him look even more intimidating when he was in full costume. Before with the balaclava you couldn't really see his eyes very well, but now you could. With the black contacts anyone who got close enough to see Dave's face was greeted with eyes that resembled a dolls eyes.

Dave's brutality had strangely increased since he told Mindy the truth, he thought that he would try to keep a much more refined atmosphere about him now that Mindy knew who he was, but no, he seemed to almost relish in the thought of tearing into some punks with his lover's eyes on him.

Dave was slightly worried by what had been happening to him. Before his father's death he almost always felt bad for killing someone, but now... now he killed freely, and he either didn't feel anything or in some cases he enjoyed it. He was finally beginning to understand the satisfaction Mindy got from killing crooks.

Hell... Wednesday night, he and Hit Girl were out on patrol and caught three punks in the middle of mugging a man. The moment he saw that one of them had a knife, Dave charged the guy. Hit Girl saw who he was aiming for and focused her attention on the nearest guy, the punks hadn't noticed them yet.

Dave usually dealt with the situation with his swords, but for some reason his hand shot back to his machete, he was unsheathing it, as he passed the closest guy who had been standing a few feet away.

The guy saw The Fallen run by him, and immediately reached for something in his pocket, he never got the chance to reveal it, because the second his hand hit his pocket, Hit Girl was on him, she drove her bladed BO staff, through the back of his left calf, forcing him to the floor. Then she deliver a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. This all happened in about a second as Hit Girl was able to look up and see The Fallen right as he got to the knife wielding punk.

The punk with the knife and his buddy who were standing around the man they were harassing, looked over just in time to see The Fallen barrel into them. The guy with the knife was knocked back a few feet while the other guy fell to the ground. Dave kept his focus on the guy with the knife.

Dave lunged forward and grabbed the hand with the knife in it, with his free hand. He pulled the thugs knife hand up into the air as he drove his shoulder into the guys chest pushing him back into a wall. Once he was pinned, Dave turned his blade around in his hand and began pressing the tip into the guys stomach.

Dave was vaguely aware that Hit Girl, had run by him. The third thug had gotten to his feet and was trying to get his balance back, he never got the chance as Hit Girl delivered a drop kick to his face, knocking him out cold, Mindy landed on her side rolled onto her back and flipped up to her feet in a single moment, she then turned her attention to Dave and the thug he was working on.

The thug was trying to fight back, but Dave was much stronger than he was. Noting the resistance Dave finally had enough and started to slowly drive his blade into the mans belly.

The thugs eyes shot wide, as he felt the blade pierce his skin.

"Drop the knife!" Dave roared, as he pushed his blade further into the man.

The guy started to scream, as the blade pushed past skin, and into muscle.

"Drop it!" Dave shouted again, this time the thug listened as he let the knife fall out of his hand.

Dave pulled his blade out and picked up the thug's knife. The thug just sat on the ground whining in pain.

"You alright?" Mindy asked the man who was being harassed.

"Yeah! Thanks! You guys were amazing!" The man replied, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Thanks" Hit Girl replied as she pulled out her phone and called 911.

"Hey, we're on 6th street, there are three cocksuckers who need some police and an ambulance." Mindy said over the phone.

Mindy walked back over to Dave who was standing over the knife wielding thug.

"What do you think we should do with him?" Hit Girl asked. "We can't just leave him like this, he could try to run away."

As she finished speaking Dave raised his foot into the air and brought it down on the thugs right knee cap. The thug let out a scream as he doubled over in pain.

"He isn't going anywhere now." The Fallen stated darkly as he turned to leave, he dropped the thugs knife a few feet away.

Dave was still a little surprised at how viscous he was when he put that costume on. He could tear into a man with little to no hesitation, and only afterward when the dust settled, did he realize what had just happened.

* * *

-End Flashback-

Dave stood, as his alarm clock went off, letting him know that it was time to get up. Dave was usually awake an hour or two before his alarm clock. His nightmares had been getting worse, he had, had one almost every night this week. Of course he didn't tell Mindy about it, and it's not like she could tell, Dave wasn't in school anymore so he could spend a few extra hour sleeping if he didn't get them the night before.

Dave also felt a little guilt about lying to Mindy once again. He had told her that he left school because he wanted to keep people safe, when in reality, school had simply begun to feel like eight hours of his life that he simply wouldn't be getting back. Besides, the only thing that kept him going to school was so that he could appear normal, but now that he had a place to hide from the world, he just didn't feel like school was necessary.

Dave walked out of the safe-house and to his car, so he could make his way to the headquarters. As he was driving, he began to think about Mindy. She was always on his mind now, ever since he told her, that he was in love with her. The only thing that got his mind off of her, was superhero business. But if he didn't have any hero business his mind would eventually, find her again.

Dave had to smile at himself, Mindy was starting to become quite the flirt. They hadn't engaged in any sexual activity since last Sunday, but Dave could tell she wanted to. Mindy wasn't very good at hiding her desire for sex, she was constantly stealing kisses from him during training, and more than a few times she would simply push him into a wall start making out with him.

Most nights Mindy would stay in his arms until he went to sleep, then she would sneak home so that she would be there when Marcus woke up.

Dave laughed aloud as he though about how flirtatious Hit Girl had become too, she would compliment his skills or physique in a flirtatious tone of voice. Or after they broke up some thugs, she would pull him down and give him a victory kiss on his face-mask.

She'd also been dropping subtle hints about her desires, brushing her body against his, letting his hands brush against her breasts or butt. She was really driving him crazy, on Thursday during one of their training sessions, she showed up without panties or a bra on, underneath her workout clothes. "That was a very erotic training session." He thought to himself as he finished driving and walked into the headquarters.

Dave was almost always in the headquarters, training with his weapons, studying his gear for places to improve, or simply working out. He was there from when he woke up, to when he and Mindy left to go out on patrol. It was 9:30 am by the time he arrived and as he walked in, he noticed Mindy, already there and practicing.

"Hey there, sexy!" Dave said with a smile, as he watched Mindy practice with her throwing knives. She rolled into the center of the room and then threw a throwing knife into a target in front of her.

"Hey!" She said with a grin, when she finished.

"You ready?" Dave asked as he walked over to a locked drawer which held his costume.

"Hell yeah! Let's see what you got." Mindy stated as Dave suited up into his costume. She grabbed two swords that they used for Dave's training, she ground down the edges so that they weren't dangerous to practice with and yet still had the weight of his normal swords.

Dave finished gearing up as Mindy threw his sword to him. She then walked over to the wall and picked up a piece of pipe she also kept for training purposes.

"Ready?" She asked with a smirk.

Dave gave her a nod, as she lunged out with the pipe, swinging it with a little bit of skill, trying to mimic the style of a thug.

Dave parried her swing with one sword and struck with the other landing a blow on her belly.

"Good!" She said as she stepped back and prepared to attack, again.

Dave fell into a defensive stance, as he focused in on her weapon swinging shoulder, attempting to telegraph her moves.

Mindy had to smirk, Dave's skill was improving each day. In a few years he would be insanely deadly with the blades.

"Right, lets step it up." Mindy stated with a smirk as she lunged at his again, this time with more skill.

She swung with more ferocity, trying her hardest to trick Dave up. Mindy lunged forward lifting the pipe high into the air to bring it down on his head. As she was swinging down, Dave dropped to his knee and brought one sword up to block her strike while at the same time he punched her, square in the gut with the other.

Mindy stumbled back, winded. She tried to regain her balance, but before she was able to Dave was on her. He kicked the pipe out of her hand, knelt down and grabbed her around the waist. He lifter her up and carried her over to the wall. He pressed her against the wall before he whispered into her ear.

"Your head is mine..." He said as he raised a his blade too her throat. He let out a laugh as a look of worry shot across her face.

"God Dave! You scared the fuck outta me!" Mindy stated with a smile, as he released her.

"Yeah? If I was able to scare you, imagine how scared Chris is going to be when I get my hands on him." Dave stated as he turned to pick up the pipe and throw it back to her.

"Dude, he's going to piss his pants." Mindy smiled as she caught the pipe.

"Let's go again." Dave stated as he entered into a defensive stance.

"Right!" Mindy stated as she twirled the pipe in her hand.

She stared at Dave for a second, before she charged at him. This time she utilized a great deal more skill, she fought aggressively, lashing out with her hands and feet.

Dave was always, happy, when they got to this part. It always got his blood pumping, when Mindy started to fight seriously, She was always so beautiful.

* * *

-Later-

The two spent most of the day training, honing their skills, and occasionally they would playfully grope one another. It was about 6:45 when they decided to head out. It always felt great to be out on the streets, they mostly stuck to back alleys, and tried to avoid traveling on busy streets.

The night had been pretty slow, they had scared off some muggers and beat up a purse snatcher. It was around 12:45 when Dave got a call. "Hold on." Dave stated, staring down at his phone.

"It's Marty." Dave stated sounding confused.

"Isn't it past his bedtime?" Hit Girl asked as she stood next to him.

Dave hit the answer button, "Hello?"

"Hey Dave! Where in the hell are you?!" Marty asked sounding worried.

"Out on patrol with Hit Girl... Whats wrong?" Dave asked as he put the call on speaker.

"Dude, your whole damn street is on fire!" Marty stated with worry. "I saw it on the news, I didn't know if you were there or not."

"What?" Hit Girl asked. She looked up at Dave but once again couldn't discern his facial expressions because of the mask and contacts.

"Yeah. According to one witness a black van pulled up and six guys got out and kicked your door in. They came out like two minutes later and apparently one of them was swearing, according to the witness he was young and sounded really pissed." Marty explained.

"Do you think it was Chris?" Dave asked anger obvious in his voice.

"Yeah, apparently the six guys were dressed in costumes, after they came out, the one guy who was swearing reached into the van and pulled out a Molotov cocktail, and threw it into your house. Then the rest of the guys grabbed Molotov's and started throwing them into other houses on the street. Like I said man, your whole street is on fire, right now!" Marty finished explaining.

"Dammit!" Dave shouted in frustration.

"Is anyone hurt?" Hit Girl asked, with concern.

"Yeah, like six people are being run to the hospital, they're still trying to get to others." Marty stated with a little sadness.

"That son of a bitch cant find me, so this is what he does?" Dave growled as he paced back and forth in the alley.

"Don't do that?" Mindy stated grabbing his arm. "Chris is the asshole here, not you. You tried to get away from people. You tried to distance yourself from people so that they couldn't get hurt, you did everything you could." She finished sympathetically.

"I swear that I'm going to tear that cocksuckers, fucking spine out!" Dave shouted, enraged.

As Dave was venting, he heard another call on his phone. "Fuck! Hold on a second Marty, I have another call."

Dave clicked end call on Marty's call then answered the new one. "What?!" Dave asked angrily.

"Hey dickhead! You like what I did to your fucking house!?" It was Chris' voice.

"Chris, you son a bitch." Dave shouted as he realized who it was.

"Oh, you sound a little pissed man. Still reeling from what I did to daddy?" Chris asked mockingly.

"I swear to god, I'm going to rip your skull in half." Dave growled in reply.

"Oh, Davy. Man that hurts. Cant we just be civilized?" Chris stated again in a mocking tone.

"Why don't you come out of hiding you prick and I'll show you just how civilized I can be!" Hit Girl shouted into the phone.

"Oh, so your slut, is with you. Hi, Hit Girl!" He finished, childishly.

"So Dave... where has Kickass been? I haven't noticed him around lately. I've seen Hit Girl though, she's been traveling with that huge asshole, The Fallen, but I haven't seen you with them?" Chris chided.

Dave stopped for a second as inspiration struck. "Kickass has been laying low. But if you think for a second that I'm not looking for you, you're wrong. My friends have been out looking for you... According to The Fallen, last time he ran into you, you ran like a little bitch!" Dave stated as he smiled and nodded at Hit Girl who picked up on the ruse.

"I didn't run! I was simply advancing in the opposite direction." Chris responded trying to sound dignified.

"According to him you pissed your pants and needed your bodyguard to drag you away from the scene." Dave chided in a mocking tone. "Isn't that right Hit Girl?'

"Yeah! I think you might have shit yourself too." Mindy added.

"I WILL FIND WHERE YOU THREE COCKSUCKERS ARE HIDING!" Chris shouted, loosing his cool.

"But first, I'm going to make you suffer." He added menacingly.

"You've already taken everything that matters, from me, my dad, my home, my identity. What else could you possibly do to me?" Dave asked with a sarcastic laugh.

There was a long pause on the other side-

"... … … Katie Deauxma, Marty Eisenberg, Mindy Macready... … … Do these people matter?" Chris finished with a small giggle.

Dave and Mindy's eyes shot wide with horror. All Dave could mutter over the phone was "How?"

Chris let out a laugh over the phone before answering. "You know, I don't know, what you did to make your friend so angry with you. But he obviously hates the shit outta you."

"Who?" Dave growled into the phone.

"I think he said his name was asslicker or some shit like that. He's the one that told me about your daddy. He also told me all about your friends, he told me that Katie was your girlfriend, until she figured out that you were fucking a fifteen year old named Mindy, he also told me how close you are to your fat ass buddy Marty... Hell he even told me where you lived, I didn't even need to look it up or anything." Chris finished as he started to laugh again.

"Todd.." Dave stated breathlessly.

"So Dave... Anything you would like to say bef..." Chris got cut off, as Dave clicked the end button.

"Mindy, call Marcus, and tell him to get to somewhere safe!" Dave shouted as he redialed Marty's number.

Mindy pulled out her phone and dialed Marcus' number. After a moment he answered. "Hello?"

"Marcus! Where are you?" Mindy asked, frantically.

"I'm at the station, I had to work late today. Whats wrong?" He asked sounding worried.

"Marcus, The Motherfucker is going after Mindy Macready." She explained. "He found out that Dave and I are friends. I need you to stop whatever your doing and arm yourself, I'm on my way to pick you up." Mindy finished as she clicked end.

"Marty. Just get your family out of your house. Get out onto the streets I'll call you back when I have a plan." Dave finished, clicking the end button and dialing Katie's number.

"You calling Katie?" Mindy asked.

"Yeah... come on Katie... come on... Fuck!" He shouted. "She hit decline."

"Here give me her number. Let me try." Mindy asked as Dave gave her the number and she dialed it. This time it rang six or seven times before going to voice-mail. "God dammit. Bitch, pick up the phone!" Mindy shouted as she hit redial.

When the call went to voice-mail again, Dave turned and started to run down the alley.

"Dave, where are you going?" Mindy shouted.

"Katie's house isn't that far from here! Go back to the Headquarters and grab my car and meet me there. I'll send you her address!" He shouted as he ran.

"Shit!" Mindy shouted as she turned to run, the opposite direction. The headquarters was about four blocks away.

Dave texted Mindy, Katie's address while he ran. He had never run so fast in his whole life, he was charging down back alleys and sprinting across streets with impunity. All in all it took him twenty minutes to reach her house.

He was winded by the time he got there, but as he arrived he noticed three cars parked out front. He quickly grabbed his phone and texted Mindy, "He's here. Going in!"

As he was about to walk into the house he got a text back from Mindy. "Wait. 5 min, away!" Dave ignored it as he drew his swords and approached the door. He could hear voices inside.

Dave stepped back and kicked the door in. It was the first time he had ever kicked a door in, but it went surprisingly well.

As he entered, his horror was realized, there standing in front of him were five guys in costume. They turned, swore, and then each raised a weapon.

Dave charged into them. Utilizing his superior momentum to knock two of them over, he then proceeded to tear into one with his blades. The man had a pool stick as a weapon, Dave cut right through it and lodged his sword into the guys chest.

The other two guys both tried to attack Dave with a pipe and a bat, but because of the body armor and Dave's lack of feeling, there attacks were to no avail. Dave turned to deal with them leaving one of his swords lodged into the first guys chest, he drew his machete, with his free hand.

One of the guys lunged at Dave, but he easily side stepped the guy and rammed his sword into his gut. Dave left it there as he charged the third guy. (The other two were still getting too their feet.)

The guy tried to swing at Dave with the pool stick, but Dave easily caught the strike, with his hand. He then lunged forward and drove his Machete into the guys stomach. He then proceeded to stab him six more times in the gut. Before turning his attention to the other two, who had finally regained their balance.

One of them raised a gun, as Dave saw it he reacted on instinct and drew a throwing knife and let it fly at the man. Surprisingly it hit its target, but of course it hit on the handle side. It did hit the thug, right in the face though, so that was nice.

Dave took the opportunity to charge at the gun wielding guy, he had lost his balance from the handle of a knife hitting him in the face.

Dave simply charged forward and slammed into the guy knocking the gun out of his hand and throwing him into a wall. Dave then turned to the other guy and tackled him. Dave pinned him to the floor and drove his blade into the guys throat, before rolling off of him and doing the same to the, now gun-less, thug.

Dave stopped for a second as he finished off the last guy. He was completely out of breath, but the adrenaline was pumping through his veins.

Dave stood and retrieved his weapons as he surveyed the living room. He saw laying in the center of the room, was an older man, probably Katie's father. His throat was slashed.

"Damn!" Dave cursed to himself as he turned to the stairs. He sheathed his machete and took hold of his two swords. Dave ran up the stairs, two at a time, he got halfway down the hallway to Katie's room when he heard screaming.

Dave ran right toward her door, he brought his foot up and kicked it in with enough force to tear it off the door frame. He stopped and stared in horror, as he viewed the scene. There were four guys in the room, all dressed in costume, one of the guys held Katie in front of him, as a human shield. He had a gun pointed at Dave, and a knife to Katie's throat.

All the men had guns, the one to Katie's right had a shotgun, while the other three including the one that held her, had pistols.

"Let her go!" He roared. Dave's eyes were focused on the knife but, he immediately started to scan her body when he noticed the knife was covered in blood.

He almost lost his breath. Katie was sobing, but it wasn't just fear that was causing her to weep, it was pain. She had a good reason to be weeping, Katie was only wearing a long shirt, and he could see blood flowing down her legs. They had stabbed her in the groin.

Dave started to tremble. Even with all the gear, the hood, and the face mask, the thugs could tell he was engraged.

"Don't move or she dies!" The one holding her hissed.

"I've got full bulletproof armor on, you kill her, and you have no way out of here." Dave stated in his 'The Fallen' voice.

"You only have one weapon that may have a chance of hurting me." He stated gesturing to the guy with the shotgun. "But if you miss, or it doesn't kill me, you all are going to die!"

"Drop your weapons, and lay on the floor. You give up, she lives."

"I'm not dropping my weapons and if I see that knife even twitch, I'm going to kill you." Dave threatened.

"Theres no way you can take us out before I kill her, so consider your options." The same thug stated confidently.

"I'm The Fallen... I've dedicated myself to avenging those that have died. You kill her and you simply make her a martyr for my cause..." Dave stated as inspiration struck.

"Go ahead... kill her... Give me an opening." The Fallen growled, after a moment.

"What?" The thug holding Katie asked, confused.

"This girl is a friend of Kickass, I'm a friend of Kickass... This girl is not my friend. And I'm not Kickass!" He explained.

The thugs went wide eyed, as they realized who they were talking.

"You're idiots, if you think I'm going to lay down and die for some girl I don't know. You kill her, I kill you, and she joins the legions of dead, that I fight for!" The Fallen stated, taking a step forward into the room. All the thugs shrunk back, fear visible in their eyes.

"By the way, if you're thinking that killing her will break Kickass... you're wrong. You already took his father from him. What's this bitch going to matter in the long run. What do you think matters more to him, his father, or some chick who broke up with him?" The Fallen stated as he took another step. Dave started sharpening his blades together as he approached.

The men were visibly shaken. They even started to tremble.

"Drop your weapons and kneel in front of the wall, and I'll let you live... think about it. Is Chris D'Amico really worth dying for?" Dave stated as he took another step, he was in the center of the room.

The guy with the knife, stared at The Fallen for a few moment, before lowering his knife and pushing Katie towards Dave.

Katie fell against his chest, and started to weep. Dave just wrapped an arm around her but kept his eyes on the thugs, he motioned for them to drop their weapons. They complied, dropping their weapons.

Just as this was happening Dave heard someone running up the stairs behind him, he glanced back, just as Hit Girl rounded the corner and entered the room.

"Take her. She needs a hospital." Dave stated passing Katie to Hit Girl. Who looked down at her wound and made a disgusted face.

Dave stepped between all of the thugs, who had dropped to their knees and put their hands up. He thought to himself for a moment, before making a move.

* * *

Hit Girl and Katie were halfway down the stairs when Mindy heard the thugs scream.

She got Katie to the car and got her inside, she was still bleeding. Mindy laid Katie on her side in the back seat, she could tell that the thugs had violated her with a knife.

A few moments later, The Fallen wandered out and got into the car.

"Are they all dead?" Mindy asked him.

The Fallen didn't say anything as he drove to the hospital. As Mindy was helping Katie out of the car. He stepped in front of them, and staired at Katie for a moment. Katie stared back, she looked to be in a great deal of pain, however through the pain she was able to whisper, "Thank you."

The Fallen just stood there for a second before whispering in reply, "I'm sorry."

The Fallen supported Katie's weight as they walked her into the hospital. They walked in, the woman at the front desk noticed them immediately and ran over.

"What happened?" She asked as she reached them.

"Her name is Katie Deauxma, she lives at 435 walnut drive. Her father was murdered, and the same thugs violated her with a knife." Dave whispered to the woman.

The woman quickly called for some nurses and doctors to come and help. Dave and Mindy quickly left once Katie was in good hands. They got back into the car and drove to the headquarters. Neither one spoke the whole drive. As they were arriving Dave noticed two cars parked in front of the headquarters.

He looked over at Mindy who stated, "I told Marty where this place was and asked him to pick up Marcus. They should both be here."

Dave didn't reply, he just parked the car and they went up to the headquarters. They opened the door and found Marty and his family huddled in the center of the room, plus Marcus standing in front of Big Daddy's memorial.

Mindy walked right over to Marcus, as she made her way too him, she pulled off her wig.

"There you are." Marcus stated as he saw her. She walked up and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey man." Marty stated to Dave who was just standing at the entrance.

Mindy turned to look at Dave, he was just standing there swaying back and forth. She started to walk over to him, when suddenly he turned, and sat against the nearest wall. As Mindy got closer she could hear soft crying.

"Dave!" She stated in a worried tone as she dropped to her knees next to him. She pulled his hood back and took off his mask, his face was red with tears.

"Dave." She repeated.

Mindy pulled Dave into an embrace, when she did he started to sob.

"I..." He started, but his voice caught in his throat.

"I... murdered those men." He finally sputtered.

"Dave..." Mindy started, but he cut her off.

"They put down their weapons. They were unarmed, and I killed them." Dave stated with a horrifed look on his face.

"Dave, they didn't deserve to live... not for what they did." Mindy tried to comfort him.

"I hate him!" Dave nearly shouted. "I hate him so much!"

All Mindy could do was hold him as he sobbed, she didn't know what to say, what to do. She had no way of comforting him. He was just a normal guy once, and now... now he was vigilante.

_Okay so I hope you enjoyed, I made this one extra long. Please let me know if you prefer longer chapters or shorter one. Also review, let me know what you think._


	10. Chapter 10

_Okay so wrote a long ass chapter, earlier today and yet I feel like it wasn't long enough, I really wanted to keep going but I figure why not take a break. I going to try and make this chapter nice and long as well, but who knows. I appreciate any feedback, and stuff, let me know what you think and, I'm entirely open to suggestions, as well. I don't plan these stories out or anything, I just start typing whats playing through my head. So there are bound to be things that I, miss, do incorrectly, or just plain don't make sense. If you find any of these please let me know, or offer up your suggestion. Anyway enjoy._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 10

Mindy held Dave in her arms, for what felt like an hour. He kept weeping, and whining, he was horrified by what he had done. Dave's killed before, but never like this, never unarmed men, never people who had submitted to his orders. In his eyes, they had given up, they did what he said, they put down their weapons, they surrendered... and he still killed them. After a while, Mindy knew that she had to do something, say something, she needed to get him moving.

"Dave... I know it hurts, but we need you right now. We're all scared, Chris is out there looking for us. We need to stay focused!" Mindy stated firmly to him.

"But..." Dave started.

"Dave!" Mindy snapped. "They were four assholes, that thought it was good idea to shove a knife into your ex-girlfriend's pussy. They deserved what they got!"

Dave stared at her for a moment trying really hard to agree with her.

Mindy saw that she was winning him back. "Dave... what happened... … … you take it... and you use it... I saw how angry you were... you were going to kill them no matter what... so just accept it. That anger, its a part of you. So use it. Use it against people like Chris. Don't let if well up inside of you."

She saw a small amount of resignation on Dave's face, as he nodded and got to his feet.

"Dave man... Are you okay?" Marty asked, as he approached.

Dave looked at him and was about to answer, when he remembered, what Chris had told him earlier.

"Todd!" Dave shouted as he started to pace around the room.

"What about Todd?" Marty asked.

"Chris told me that Todd was the one that told him about my dad." Dave growls

"Wait! Are you shitting me?" Marty asked.

"He said that the guy that told him about me was called asskicker. That has to be Todd!" Dave growled.

"Wait, are we talking about your buddy Todd?" Mindy asked the two of them.

"Yeah." Marty said, still unable to believe it.

"Maybe it's not really him. Maybe Chris was lying." Mindy offered to Dave.

"He only told me and Marty that he was going to call himself the Asskicker. Only Todd could have told Chris." Dave explained as he clenched his fists in anger.

"We make fun of him for ripping off your name, and he goes and rats you out to The Motherfucker. What a dick!" Marty stated breathlessly.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Dave shouted aloud.

"Okay... I'm going to need an explanation." Marcus stated as he approached them.

"Dave's buddy Todd, told The Motherfucker, about Dave. The Motherfucker knows we're all connected to Dave. That's why I had you come here Marcus." Mindy explained.

Marty explained the same thing to his parents.

"When I find that fucking bastard I'm going to tear his dick off!" Dave shouted as he began putting his face-mask on.

"Whoa Dave, man, where the hell are you going?" Marty asked as Mindy and Marcus turned to look at him.

"I'm going to take a trip over to Todd's!" He growled.

"Whoa, alright, I think you need to calm down." Mindy stated as Dave finished putting his face mask on.

"I'm going to go find that son of a bitch and kill him!" Dave hissed, as he pulled up his hood.

"Dave! I really don't think that's a good idea, man." Marty started.

"No! Marty! Don't even try to talk me out of this!" Dave stated as he turned to leave.

Mindy quickly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. "Dave... are really going to go kill one of your friends?"

Mindy almost visibly recoiled, the hatred that he felt at that moment was evident in his eyes. "Dave... this is one of your friends we're talking about."

"He's responsible for all of this! If he hadn't told Chris who I was, then none of this would have happened!" Dave shouted at her.

"Look I get it Dave. I want him dead too." Mindy stated as she pulled Dave closer to her.

"Then why are you trying to stop me?!" Dave growled trying, for the first time, to pull away from her embrace.

"You don't need to be the one to do it!" Mindy shouted as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Let me handle it!" Mindy pleaded.

"No... No... I already got you involved with Chris. I can handle Todd!" He finished with an incredible amount of hate.

"Dave... he was one of your best friends!" Marty tried to add.

"Marty he's the catalyst for all of these events. If he hadn't did what he did. We wouldn't be here, my dad would still be alive. Mindy could still have a normal life. I could still be out there helping people, inspiring hope in people, not fear in criminals!" Dave stated. He was seething anger.

"You can't kill him!" Marty pleaded.

"Fine! I wont kill him!" Dave shouted.

"I'm just going to skin him alive and throw his body in a salt mine!" Dave growled as he turned to try and leave again.

This time Mindy used all her strength to pin Dave to a nearby wall, She looked up at him, with pleading eyes. The only thoughts that was running through her head was that she had to stop him. If he was ready to break down, after killing four unarmed thugs. Then killing one of his friends would destroy him.

Marty stepped forward to help Mindy pin him to the wall.

"Let me go!" Dave shouted angrily.

"No... you need to calm down." Mindy hissed as Dave started to struggle.

"What I need to do, is make that backstabbing, traitorous, son of a bitch, pay!" Dave started as he tried to break free of Mindy and Marty's grasp.

"Come on Dave! There has gotta be an explanation for this." Marty whined as he struggled to hold Dave in check.

"What explanation could there be, Marty? If Chris had tortured the information out of him he would have gloated about it. But he didn't, which means that Todd fucking told him!" Dave was still running high off of the adrenaline from earlier, it was taking all of Marty and Mindy's strength to keep him pinned.

"I don't know what other explanation there could be but... I mean, come on! Todd is a complete pussy, do you really think he's capable of this?" Marty asked in desperation.

"Well... obviously he is!" Dave answered as he continued to struggle.

Marcus just stared sadly at the three kids. It was surreal, these kids were fighting over whether or not one of them should kill a friend who had gotten his father killed. Marcus didn't know what to say or do, to make the situation better.

"Come on Dave! Please. Just listen." Mindy started to plead.

"No! There is nothing that you could say, that would stop me from making that fucking idiot, pay!" Dave roared.

Mindy had no idea how to stop this. If she could, she would knock him out, but he was wearing his face mask, and there was no way in hell she was getting through it without a weapon. She thought about trying to tear the damn thing off his head, but she realized that would telegraph her intentions.

"Marty... if you don't let go of me in about, ten seconds I'm going to headbutt you." Dave stated with a growl.

Of course Marty released Dave's and jumped back. "Dammit!" Mindy thought as she reached out to grab his other arm.

Dave was quicker, still hopped up on adrenaline, he used his Superior strength to pick Mindy up off the ground.

"Fuck!" She thought as she let his arms go and wrapped her legs around his body, and went for his face-mask.

Dave felt her hands reach the Velcro straps, as she was trying to remove the Velcro, Dave walked the two of them over to the training mat, once he reached it he did the only thing he could think of and fell forward.

Mindy felt the wind get knocked out of her. Dave had fallen forward onto the mat, and from how she was on him, his head was located right at her chest. Mindy felt herself release him, she quickly recovered as Dave rolled off of her and stood. Mindy was on her feet in between him and the door.

"Why the hell are you trying to stop me?!" Dave shouted.

"You were just about to fucking brake down about those four assholes from earlier, how the hell are you going to react once you kill a friend?" Mindy growled in return.

"That was different I..." Dave started to reply.

"If you want him dead so badly, let me do it! I can kill him and walk away with a clear conscience!" Mindy yelled at him.

"No... I can do this myself. I don't need you to fight my battles for me!" Dave growled in return.

"Dave... I can't let you do this! You won't be able to live with yourself. It doesn't matter what he's done, he was still your friend." Mindy said in a low voice.

"I'm not Chris. I don't need to send someone else to do my dirty work. He betrayed me. He got my father killed. God damn it! He's the reason that Katie's in the hospital, right now!" Dave stated, murder in his eyes.

"I love you Dave... more than anything else. I can't let you do this." Mindy said sadly.

She looked over at Marty and asked him to throw her, her bladed BO staff that was hanging on the wall.

He threw it to Mindy, who pulled the two halves apart to reveal the blades, she twirled them around a few times before falling into a defensive stance, her eyes locked on Dave.

"You'd fight me, to stop me from leaving?" Dave asked, concern replacing the hatred in his eyes.

"Yeah... If I have to lay you out, to get you to listen, then I will." Mindy stated, nothing but love and concern in her eyes.

"Mindy... I'm going... you can't stop me..." Dave stated sadly as he started to walk forward.

Mindy showed that she wasn't joking around, as he approached, Mindy quickly stepped forward and kicked him squarely in the chest knocking him back a few feet.

Dave looked up at her, a little bit of shock in his eyes. He started forward again, but Mindy kicked him in the chest again. Dave fell back and again tried to get up and advance. Mindy delivered a flying spin kick to the side of Dave's head causing him to spin around and fall on the ground, his back facing her.

"I'm not letting you pass. I'll beat the shit outta you if I have too." Mindy stated breathlessly as Dave sat up, her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw one of his hands rise to his sword handles.

"You can't beat me..." Mindy started as Dave slowly unsheathed a sword and got too his feet.. "I'm the one who taught you all your moves." She tried again, as Dave stood up straight, her eyes were locked on the sword in his hand.

"I'm going... I have to do this." Dave stated sadly, As she heard this, a single tear fell from Mindy's cheek, she raised her weapons to counter, Dave's attack.

Dave stood with his back too her for a second, before turning around, and raising his right hand, the one without the sword, in it's place instead, was the handgun that Dave kept strapped to his leg. He leveled the gun at her chest.

Mindy stared at the gun for a second, before lowering her weapons. She looked from the gun to Dave's eyes, they were full of sadness, but underneath the sadness was a burning desire for justice. Justice for his dad, justice for Katie, justice for himself. "You won't shoot me Dave." Mindy stated with a sad smile.

Dave stared back, not breaking eye contact, the whole room was tense, Marty's parents were cowering in the corner, Marty was standing off to the side, in shock, and Marcus was trying his best too gauge the situation, he was planning, whether or not he should make a move.

Dave continued to stare at her, Mindy just kept her sad smile. After another moment Dave sheathed his sword and put the safety on his gun. He slowly lowered it, as the tension in the room shattered. He held the gun at his side for a few moments, before kneeling down and putting it back in its holster.

His eyes were locked with hers, they kept staring at each other, the tension was almost a visible haze.

"You're right, I won't hurt you." Dave stated in his The Fallen voice.

"Todd is guilty. The people who have suffered because of his actions, have been denied justice. You are the one who denies it too them, and you will have to live with the consequences." Dave continued still using his The Fallen voice.

Mindy just stared at him, hurt and confused.

"You are my partner, Hit Girl. But even that relationship has it's limits, stand between the fallen and they're justice again, and I will be forced to take action. Take care in the future. I will be watching you closely." He finished. Mindy was unable to compute what the fuck was happening. She couldn't figure out why he was acting this way. He had gone from being pissed off, to, what sounded like disappointment.

Dave turned around and started to walk toward one of the walls, when he stopped and spoke, almost to himself. "She is almost as guilty as the rest of them, be glad the I am merciful."

Mindy just stared, wide eyed, she was the only person close enough too hear him, he walked over to the wall and sat down. And after a few moments he took off the face-mask and the hood. He just stared around the room, he looked tired and upset.

Marcus walked over to check to see if Mindy was alright. She didn't hear whatever he was saying too her, she was too focused on Dave. He sat staring sadly out into space. Mindy slowly made her way too him.

Mindy walked over and sat in front of him, a sick feeling in her gut. She tried to look into his eyes, but they were blank. "Dave..." She whispered.

He just stared blankly. He didn't react, just stared.

"Dave." She whispered again as a tear rolled down her cheek. This time Dave reacted, he blinked a few time's and finally looked at her.

"What?" He asked in an agitated tone.

"...about Todd..." She started, but stopped when he shot her an angry glare.

"Forget about Todd, the fucking idiot doesn't even matter." Dave said with an even more agitated tone.

"Look Dave... I... I... just don't want to see you torn up inside. You're a good person, you're human, and you can make mistakes, but the point is that you feel guilty, when everything is said and done. If you were to have killed someone you care about, I... don't know if you would have recovered. It would have changed you." Mindy tried to explain.

"Look... I don't care anymore. You're right, I'm wrong, let's just forget it." Dave sighed tiredly.

"No, Dave. Don't do that, it's not about who's right and who's wrong, I just don't want to see you in pain. I wasn't saying, Todd doesn't deserve..."

"Look! Just drop it already! I told you, just fucking forget about it, it doesn't even really matter." Dave cut her off. Sounding frustrated.

Mindy just stared at him, tears in her eyes. He was bottling it up again, all of his pain and anger, all of the hurt, he was burying it inside of himself. Mindy immediately began regretting her decision to stop him from leaving. He had every right to kill Todd for what he had done. Todd did deserve to die, the only reason Mindy stopped Dave from leaving was so that he wouldn't do something he would regret. It was only now, that she was starting to realize that the person who would of regretted killing anybody, died with Dave's dad. She could tell from just looking at him that he was so, beyond pissed.

Mindy let out a sigh as she tried a new approach. "... Dave, you and I are partners, what if we went after Todd together? That way, I could be there to help, if you needed it?"

"Todd is just the one bad habit, that led to the cancer spreading. Chris is the tumor I need to cut out. Nothing else matters... Forget about Todd." Dave stated his voice cold and distant.

Mindy just stared as she processed what he just said. "You mean 'we', right? The tumor we need to cut out?"

Dave's face was stone, he looked much older, than he really was. He couldn't look at her, he just stared off to the side before declaring. "I think... I should handle this on my own, from here on out."

Marcus, who had been eavesdropping a few feet behind them, recoiled at the declaration.

Mindy's look, changed to one of anguish and regret.

"Dave." She whined, "Dave.. I'm sorry... okay if you want to go kill Todd, go ahead, I wont stop, you! I'm sorry! This is your revenge, he's responsible for the death of your father, you deserve justice! Go ahead, I wont stop you!" Mindy pleaded tears streaming down her face.

"Todd doesn't matter!" Dave stated shaking his head.

"Look I know, what I need. I know what I need to do in order to feel better. You're looking out for my best interests, but theirs no way you could know what I need. I need to focus on following my own path, and as long as we're together... I'll be following 'our' path, not mine." Dave explained sadly.

"Dave... we're partners, you and I, we have to work together... just tell me what I need to do. You want to be in charge, you wanna call all the shots? Go right on ahead. Just, please... don't walk away from this partnership." Mindy begged.

"I'm sorry." Dave stated in a whisper as he tried his hardest to look at her.

"What about all that stuff, about me being the only thing you had left? About you needing me? Was that just a lie?" Mindy sobbed.

Dave's face finally softened, the cold wall of hatred that was forming around his heart was shattered "Mindy... I love you."

Mindy looked into his eyes and, for the first time all night, she saw the man that she loved. Mindy crawled forward and kissed Dave deeply, after the kiss she pressed her forehead to his, mimicking his actions the day he professed his love for her. "No matter what you say, no matter what you do, no matter how fucked up you become. I'm always going to be there for you. I'm never leaving your side again, Dave."

Dave pulled her into another kiss as he started to tear up. As he pulled away from the kiss he pressed his forehead back to hers.

"You'll always be with me?" He asked, as he hugged her.

"Come hell or high water." She replied as she hugged him back.

"Mindy... I'm sorry..." Dave started, but Mindy cut him off with a kiss.

As she pulled away she looked him deep in the eyes. Before professing. "You promised me when I turned sixteen that we could sleep together. You promised me that we would always be together. You promised me... that you would let me try to be your last love... I don't know how long it will take. I don't know how much pain we will have to endure. I just want you to know that when it's over. When we've had our fill of revenge. When we go back to fighting crime for the fun of it..." She paused as she pressed her head to his.

"When that time comes, Dave. I promise you, that I'm going to make you my husband." Dave's eye widened slightly, as did Marcus', as did the others, who could easily hear them in the silent room. "And I promise you I'm going to make you a father, and we're going to have a big family. I promise you, that once we're done, hunting for revenge, I'm going to rededicate my life to making everyday, the happiest day of your life."

Dave let out a few tears, as he hugged Mindy again. "Remind me, the day you turn eighteen, to marry you."

"Can do." Mindy replied with a smile, as she kissed him again.

Most everyone sat in silence, Dave and Mindy held each other in an embrace. Marty and his parents stood off to the side, as Marty tried to explain to them what had been happening.

Marcus stood in the center of the room, staring at Dave and Mindy. Even after everything that had happened tonight, I mean Dave and Mindy just declared that they were going to marry each other. All Marcus could think about was how much the two of them looked like Mindy's parents.

A few minutes had gone by, when Marty, who had been looking at his phone, spoke up. "Holy shit!"

"What?" Mindy asked as she and Dave got to their feet.

"That son of a bitch, burned our fucking house down." Marty explained, as he showed them all the news on his phone.

"What... Are you sure?" Marty's father asked with dread.

"Yeah, it says like, two more street are on fire, plus Dave's. One is ours..." He stopped as he looked up at Mindy.

She and Marcus read the address. Their street was on fire too. Mindy turned and walked over to her TV, she turned it on to one of the news channels. "Within an hour, Costumed Criminals have set fire to over three city streets... We take you live now to maple wood avenue, where Janet Colard. Is waiting on scene." The anchor finished and the shot switched to a woman standing in front of a burning house. She started talking but neither Marcus nor Mindy heard what she said. They were too focused on the house. It was theirs.

Mindy just turned away from the TV, and started to pace back and forth. She finally stopped and looked over at Marcus,

"I'm sorry about your house Marcus." She said sympathetically.

"The house doesn't matter. I'm just glad your safe." Marcus stated sadly.

They all turned to the TV as a great deal of static interrupted the broadcast. After a few seconds The Motherfucker's face appeared on the screen.

"Good, evening New York. As you may or may not, know. I am The Motherfucker. I'm here to tell you all that this city is mine. Starting right here, right now, any costumed hero, found on the streets is going down. I'm also putting out a one million dollar bounty, for Dave Lizewski..." As he said his name a picture of Dave came up on screen. "Dave here, was just your average everyday, cocksucker, who put on a gay, green wet suit, and started calling himself Kickass. That's right New York, this unassuming dork, is actually the masked vigilante Kickass. If you see him and you want some money, do me a favor, and call me."

Dave, Mindy, and all the others just stared, with horrified looks, at the TV.

"You see... Dave here isn't the hero you all think he is, what he really is, is a PEDOPHILE! That's right Kickass is a pedophile. See this lady," a picture of Katie comes up. "She was fucking Dave up until she found out that he was railing this girl." A picture of Mindy came up. All of the pictures so far had been school photos. "This is a fifteen year old, Dave is an eighteen year old, and according to sources, they have been fucking since she was twelve."

Dave's jaw just hung open. Mindy's hands were clenched, she was trembling with rage. All of the others just stood there in shock.

"So if you see this young girl... please for the love of all that is holy, save her!" Chris shouted dramatically.

"Oh and by the way, this kid knew about it, and didn't tell anyone." Chris added as a picture of Marty went up on screen.

"Now I know what your thinking, oh crap theirs these four people who are running around all sick and confused. But have no fear, for there is actually only three. I made sure to get this lovely young lady off of the streets and into the care of professionals." He stated with an evil grin as Katie's picture was highlighted.

"So please if anyone knows where these three individuals are hiding, or if you have knowledge of they're families where about, please call this number, 646-THE-MOTHERFUCKER."

"Oh and by the way, in case you were wondering, I got an Asian to hack to the networks for me! Isn't the freaking awesome?!" Chris finished as the screen returned to the news anchor, who had a look of pure shock.

"Not content with burning our homes down. Now we can't even go outside!" Marty shouted to no one in particular.

"This is just fucking great!" Mindy growled as she started to pace back and forth. "He fucking went and told everyone, who you were!"

"We need to stay calm." Marcus started.

"I'm going to murder that son of a bitch!" Mindy growled.

"Why is he doing this to us?" Marty's mother asked.

"Because, Dave shot his dad out of a window with a bazooka." Marty stated casually.

The horror on Marty's parents was almost laughable. They both looked at Dave for an explanation.

"I'll tell you about it later." Dave replied as he began walking over to his mask.

"Where are you going?" Mindy asked.

"Gonna pay Todd a visit." Dave replied as he strapped his face-mask on and pulled his hood up.

"What?" Mindy shouted.

"I'm just gonna talk to him." Dave replied casually, as he started for the door.

"Wait! Dave?" She spoke as she fallowed him.

"He knows where Chris is hiding, I need to drop by and talk to him." Dave stated plainly.

"Fuck! I'm coming with you!" She shouted as she threw her wig back on.

"Just don't slow me down." He replied in the same casual voice.

"Fuck off! Try to keep up!" Mindy rebuked, as everyone watched them leave.

_Okay so here's chapter 10 I hope you all enjoyed, now please allow me a few hours rest. Before I begin anew. I supposed to be starting work on Monday, so my time to write will be cut dramatically. I will try to get one or two more chapters out by then, afterwords, everything will be based around my schedule._


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay so I'm getting to work on chapter 11. keep those reviews coming, and I hope you enjoy._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 11

Dave and Mindy made their way to Todd's house. They drove most of the way in Dave's car, but stopped, three blocks away, and walked, the rest of the way. Mindy had her eyes locked on Dave, she was analyzing him to the best of her abilities. She, as always was unable to detect anything from him, because of the costume.

They rounded the corner to Todd's street. Dave eyes were aflame. He was hopefully going to find out where Chris, was hiding.

As they walked up to Todd's house, Mindy grabbed Dave by the arm. "What's the plan in there?"

"I walk in, kick Todd in the chest, threaten his life, and hopefully we have Chris' location in ten minutes."

"That's not a plan, Dave." Mindy said, rolling her eyes as he pulled away and walked up to Todd's door.

"You're right, I'm improvising." Dave stated as he kicked the door in.

That was the third door he'd kicked in that night. He was starting to become a pro at it.

"Smooth..." Mindy stated with annoyance.

Dave stepped in and wandered up the stairs. He made his way to Todd's room, Hit Girl, right on his heels. He threw Todd's door open and found him sleeping on his bed. Dave walked over and gave the bed a swift kick.

Hit Girl flipped on the light as Todd shot awake.

"What the fuck!" He shouted as he rolled off his bed and looked up in fright.

He looked from The Fallen to Hit Girl, he kinda lingered on Hit Girl for a second before looking back at The Fallen.

"You're... You're... Hit Girl and The Fallen... What the hell are you guys doing in my room?" He said, a look of pure fear on his face.

"Have you been watching the news, Todd?" Dave asked in his, The Fallen voice.

Todd's eyes went wide as he realized why they were here.

"By that look on your face, you know what we're here for?" The Fallen stated as he reached down and picked Todd up, and pushed him into a wall.

"I had no idea, I didn't know who the hell the guy was, I just thought he was starting some sort of club, or some shit." Todd pleaded.

"Your actions got a man killed, put a young girl in the hospital... … … What do you think we should do to you, Todd?" The Fallen asked as he pinned Todd to the wall with one arm and drew his machete with the other.

"I know, I know. Don't you think I feel like shit! I've been camped out here at my house, for weeks. I haven't gone to school, I haven't been able to call Dave, and even talk to him. I have never hated myself more the I do right now." Todd continued to whine.

"You're going to have to do better than that, you cunt." Hit Girl threatened.

"Look, I'm sorry... what do you want me to do?" Todd asked as The Fallen placed his blade, to his throat.

"Tell me where The Motherfucker's hideout is?" The Fallen hissed.

"Hanger six. Down at the airport." Todd cried.

The Fallen stared at him for a few long moments. Mindy was waiting for Dave to do it, to kill him, she felt sick in her gut. She hoped so much that he wouldn't. But she knew that was probably false hope.

The Fallen brought his blade back and pointed the tip at Todd's eye. "Anything else?"

"Yeah... he's got like four hundred, guys, um... um... I overheard, him and his lieutenants talking about a shipment of some sort!" Todd sputtered out.

"A shipment of what?" Hit Girl asked.

"I don't' know. I just overheard that it's supposed to be arriving in a few days." Todd continued with fear in his eyes.

"Where and how many days?" The Fallen asked as he moved the blade slightly closer.

"Down at the harbor, its supposed to arrived December 25. Look that's all I know." Todd finished.

The Fallen stared at him for a second, before drawing his blade back to his ear. Todd's eyes widened, and Mindy turned away as she heard the blade rush forward. She stared at the ground for a few moments, she was sure Dave had done it. However after a moment she heard Todd whimpering. She looked up to see the machete embedded in the wall right next to his head.

Mindy looked at Dave, he had an aura of calm about him. Todd just stood there, trembling. The Fallen pulled the blade back before speaking.

"Your actions have led to the suffering of the innocent, and yet no matter how much I want to, your life is not mine to take. So I will let you live, on the condition, that when Dave calls you to stand and face judgment. You will appear before him and face justice." The Fallen stated, an air of authority about him.

All Todd could do was nod, in reply.

"Promise me!" The Fallen snapped.

"I promise!" Todd stuttered as he tried to cower away.

"I will take you at your word, but know, that if you lied to me, if you do not honor our agreement, or if you tell Chris, anything. I will return." The Fallen finished as he turned to leave.

Mindy just looked at Todd for a minute before following after, The Fallen.

The two walked outside and got down the street before Mindy finally spoke up. "You didn't kill him."

"No, I guess I didn't." Dave replied as they walked.

"Why not?" Mindy asked curiously.

"Someone I love with all my heart, would have never been able to look at me the same way again." Dave replied coolly.

"Aren't you a sweetheart." She replied.

"If I kill him, he wont have a chance to live with what he's done. Besides, I'm not Chris. I don't kill people, just to kill people." Dave stated as they rounded the corner.

Mindy just smiled at him, it was weird, at times Dave was the most mature person she knew, and at other times he was a lose cannon.

"We're all going to have to lay low for a while, Christmas is still a few day's off." Dave stated as they reached his car.

"Yeah. I'm guessing that if this shipment, is arriving on Christmas, then whatever Chris is planning, is going to go down at new years." Mindy stated as they got in.

"Why, new years?" Dave asked as they drove off.

"He's a super villain. That's the kind of fucked up thing that they do. Attacking on a holiday woul..." Mindy stopped as she realized what he was probably targeting.

"Dave... New Years! Everybody is going to be in time square, for the count down!" Mindy explained.

"Well. If he's aiming to send a message, that's were he'd get the highest body count." Dave replied.

"Fuck! …What are we going to do?" Mindy asked, as annoyance began setting in.

"I'm sick and tired of being behind this bastard, we need to get in front of this situation. I'm thinking you and I spend a romantic Christmas eve, down at the docks." Dave stated mischievously.

"I like the way you think. We have six day's until Christmas eve, and we have a lot of work to do before than." Mindy replied deep in thought.

"Yeah... and on top of the time constraint, all of Chris' men and most of the city, are out looking for us." Dave stated meekly.

Mindy just sat, deep in thought as they drove, things had never been this bad before. Chris, had a small army, and he just increased his chances by turning the city against Dave. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

-four days later-

The last four days sucked, I mean royally sucked. Everybody was looking for them! EVERY SINGLE CRIMINAL, was out there looking for them. There was no way any of them could show their faces outside of the headquarters.

The day after The Motherfucker, posted his bounty. People online began doing research on them, they were looking into their lives and by noon that day, half of the internet was in agreement, that Mindy was Hit Girl. It also didn't take them long to figure out that Marty was Battle Guy, he still had a record from when he was arrested.

People from their school were the ones who perpetrated the idea of Mindy as Hit Girl, it wasn't hard for the world to see logic in it, Mindy had beaten up two way bigger bullies on her first day so... yeah.

Katie was under FBI protection at the hospital, hell they weren't even letting cops near her. They were sure that she was still a target, and they were afraid that The Motherfucker, would come for her.

The day after the bounty was put on their heads, the Governor called out the national guard, they arrived later that day.

It was the day after the army arrived that the whole city slipped into chaos. That Asian that Chris was talking about when he was gloating about hacking the news networks, was actually, a much bigger pain than anyone was expecting. Nobody knew who this guy was. And the worst part was that he wasn't shy about causing as much havoc as he could.

The day after the army arrived, he hacked into traffic lights and began causing crashes all over the city. He also began cutting power to certain buildings, or setting off fire alarms. Worst of all, he was masking The Motherfucker's movements. Whenever his men would rob a store, the hacker would send in a 911 call to other store locations, or he would automatically set off store alarms, so that the cops would go there.

On the third day, things got worse. Chris had planted, IED's all over the city, they began taking out cars and police cruisers. Know one knew where in the fuck Chris was getting all of this shit. He was rich, but seriously, rich only get's you so far. On the third day they managed to kill twenty-seven people, five of them were cops. He also injured about eighty more. By that day the city was under marshal law.

It was on the third day, that tragedy struck. What happened that day, hit Dave, Mindy, and Marty, pretty hard. After the bounty went up, a lot of heroes around New York hung up the cape, but there were a few that weren't dissuaded. A few heroes met up online and planned a meeting to discuss what they would do about Chris. They asked for Kickass, Hit Girl, The Fallen, and Battle Guy, to show up. But the three of them were worried that it was a trap so on the appointed day they stayed in the headquarters.

It was later that same night when Chris streamed live, the torture and execution of five masked heroes. It was the next day that they learned, that Chris had attacked the heroes meeting place, and killed or captured all of them. There was twelve heroes there that night, and they were all brutally killed.

It struck Dave and Marty hardest of all, they knew some of those heroes. Mindy was just left disgusted as Chris' action.

Mindy felt like shit most of the time, she felt guilty for bringing Marcus into all of this. She had basically derailed and ruined his life. If it hadn't been for Dave, Mindy might have fled the city out of guilt. She really felt terrible, Marcus had given so much to keep her safe, and now he had lost everything because of her. Surprisingly Marcus wasn't taking the loss of his whole life, all that bad. He had probably been preparing for this.

Another surprising part of all this, was that Dave was the one taking things the hardest. At first Mindy thought it would be Marty's parents who broke down, but they were surprisingly affectionate and comforting, during this crisis. No, it was Dave who was hit the hardest by all of these events.

Dave had nightmares almost every night now. Every night, Mindy would fall asleep in his arms and every night, he would wake up hyperventilating. Dave never got into specifics about what his nightmares were about, he just said they were about the people he cared about. Mindy guessed that probably meant, that they were about his loved ones dying.

Mindy asked Marcus about it, after the first night. He said that he wasn't surprised. It was common in people who experienced trauma, to develop PTSD. Mindy didn't believe Marcus at first but after the second night, she looked PTSD up online, and discovered that Dave had a lot of symptoms.

After the bounty was placed on their head's, Dave began developing mood swings. Anytime he had Mindy in his arms, he was alright. But any other time, he was prone to angry outburst. The two brought Marty into their training sessions, he was adamant about helping them out, even if his parents weren't happy about it. During one of the sessions when Marty fell on his ass, Dave flipped out on him. It took Mindy, five minutes to calm him down, a few minutes after his outburst Dave apologized. Marty understood, he was fully aware that something was happening to Dave.

Every death, Dave took personally, on the second night, Mindy woke up and found that he was gone, she suited up in her costume and went looking, but in the end she didn't find him. She returned to the headquarters to try and collect herself, it was when she arrived, that she noticed the bathroom light on. She walked over to find Dave sitting on the floor, he was in his The Fallen costume, he had taken his face-mask and gloves off, and Mindy could tell that he was covered in blood.

Dave had his head buried in his hands, he just sat there, quite as a mouse. Mindy took off her wig and sat next to him, she was stuck between, pissed that he'd gone out without her, and worried that something had happened.

"Dave?" Mindy asked quietly, as she stared at him, a sad look on her face.

Dave just looked up at her, she could tell he had been crying. All Dave did was look at her sadly.

After a few moments Mindy reached out and pulled him into a hug. It was only later that she learned what had happened, there was a video of it online. These three costumed criminals were live streaming some of their crimes. They were in a jewelry store, and from what Mindy could tell there was three hostages. One of the criminals was watching the hostages, while the other two were clearing off the shelves. After a few moments, The Fallen burst onto the scene, he ran up behind the guy who watching the hostages and stabbed him in the neck. Then he turned and shot the other two criminals, before they even knew what was happening. It was the first time, Mindy had ever seen him use both a sword and a gun.

After the fight, The Fallen ran off. Mindy guessed that he spent a few hours running around killing criminals. She chewed him out for it later on, but in the end she couldn't stay mad. This whole thing was tearing them all apart, they wanted so badly to get out there and fight. But they couldn't, Chris had something planned in a few days, and the more Mindy thought about it, the more she realized that he couldn't be going after the New Years, countdown celebration. He was causing way to much havoc for anyone to want to attend the damn thing. Chris had to be after something else.

Out of everything, that was happening, there was still time to worry about the little stuff. Marty and his parents were curious about the whole Dave being a pedophile thing, when they asked, Mindy simply replied, "He didn't do anything that I didn't want him too."

It took approximately two seconds, for Marty to start laughing his ass off, Dave just hung his head in embarrassment, before finally stating to Marty and his parents. "Look. We have known each other for a few years, but I haven't had sex with her, and we only recently started to date."

Marty spent the better part of an hour, saying how amazingly cool he thought Dave was. He was dating Hit Girl, "Why wouldn't he be amazing" Mindy thought to herself.

Dave and Mindy stepped up their training. They were up from dawn to dusk working out. Dave's determination and focus was insane. He took every lesson, every beating, every shred of advice, from Mindy. He was always training, always working out. To the others, Dave and Mindy's intense training regiment, was insane. Marty tried for a little while, but naturally, he was unable to keep up.

Their training was intense, it ranged from practicing with their weapons, to throwing on protective gear, and bare knuckle boxing. When they weren't practicing their skills, they were busy working out. It was on the fourth day, that Marcus, finally stepped forward and told them he would help.

"Are you serious?" Mindy asked with a great deal of concern.

"Hell yeah, I'm serious." Marcus replied, with conviction.

"You know who we're going after right. When we finally make a move on Chris, it's going to be without hesitation, or fear of the repercussions. That includes breaking a few laws if we have too." Mindy explained.

"Look... I don't give a damn about all of this superhero crap, I'm a cop, and this is my city too, if you think I'm going to sit back and let the two of you handle this alone, your wrong." Marcus stated with even more conviction.

"Marcus... Even if we get rid of The Motherfucker, even if we win, and Chris is dead, it wont change the fact that, Me, Dave, hell even Marty, none of us can ever be normal again. Chris put us all out there. Everybody knows who we are. Even if we win, we can't go home." Mindy stated sadly.

"What are you trying to say?" Marcus asked suspiciously.

"Look. Marty's got it rough, but if he wants too, he can walk away. Yeah everyone may know that he's Battle Guy, but it's not like Battle Guy ever did anything illegal. If we win, he can go back to doing whatever he wants. It may be hard but he can, so can his parents, so can you Marcus. Me and Dave, we can never go back to being normal." Mindy finished explaining.

"You think any of that matter right now? God dammit Mindy! The whole damn city is under lock and key, and any day now it could turn into a war zone! This is my city as much as yours. Chris is attacking all of us, someone needs to step up and do whats right..." Marcus stopped and let out a tired sigh before continuing. "Like I said, I cant let you two do this alone."

"Marcus..." Mindy started but she was cut off.

"Fine. If you wanna help, you can help," Dave stated coolly.

"Dave...?" Mindy stated looking at him, a little surprised.

"He knows the score. He knows we're going to kill Chris, and probably a shit load of his guys. He knows that we'll probably die. In the end, he still wants to help." Dave explained, his face was stone.

"You should be more appreciative. Out of all the reasons, Marcus could have given us, he chose the true one. He didn't lie and say, that he was doing this to protect you, he wants to help because he feels like he has too. He's right, he's a cop, and this is his city." Dave continued.

"But..." Mindy started, but Dave cut her off.

"Mindy... we don't have time for this. I get it. You care about him. You don't want him to get hurt. Well I care about Marty, I don't want him to get hurt, but if he asked to join in our mission, I'd let him!" Dave stated starting to get irritated.

"That isn't what this is abo..." Mindy tried but Dave cut her off again.

"Two against four hundred, those aren't just bad odds, that goes beyond suicidal, and into 'never having stood a chance to begin with'. If he's offering to increase our odds, then I sure as shit ain't going to turn him down!" Dave explained, with wisdom beyond his years.

"He's right, Mindy." Marcus stated. "If you're going to do this, you're going to need some help."

Mindy let out a long sigh as she ran her hands over her head. "Okay. If we're going to do this we need to get to work. Marty!"

"What?" Marty replied, recoiling slightly.

"Gotta know now. Are you in or are you out?" Dave asked, reading Mindy's mind.

Marty let out a long sigh, as his parents looked at him for an answer. "Sure, why not."

"Marty!" His mother stated in shock.

Marty's father just held onto his wife as he looked at his son, Mindy and Dave could both tell there was a bit of pride in his eyes. "I have to do this mom. What kind of man am I if I sit back and let them do all the fighting?"

"Marty..." His mother began, but she was cut off when his father pulled her into an embrace.

Marty's father looked back over at him the pride, even more evident in his eyes, as he motioned for his son to hug him. The family held the embrace for a few seconds. Mindy found it sweet, Dave couldn't help but feel a little sad, at the thought that he could never share a moment like that with his parents.

After a minute, Marty walked over, wiping tears from his eyes.

The four of them stood in a circle for a second, a silent pact forming between them. After a few moments Marcus finally spoke up, "So, what do we need to do first?"

Dave and Mindy looked at each other, and smiled. Dave walked over and picked up two bullet proof vests off the wall and threw one to Marty, and Marcus.

"Put those on." Dave stated with a grin as Mindy wandered over and picked up a few handguns off the wall.

"Why?" Marcus asked nervously, as he watched Mindy load the guns.

"Because... In about sixty seconds, I'm going to shoot the two of you." Mindy replied casually.

"What?" Marty asked as his eyes went wide. "Wont someone hear us?"

"Nope." Mindy replied as she began installing silencers on the guns.

"Oh, Shit." Marcus stated as he and Marty, strapped on the vests.

Marty looked at Dave who was just smiling at the two of them.

Marcus examined Dave's smile before asking, "Have you two done this before?"

Dave just smiled, as Mindy turned and loaded the gun. As she was approaching them she raised the gun and smiled. "Don't worry you two, just think of this as you initiation."

Dave just drifted off into thought as he heard the gun go off, a few seconds later he heard Marty and Marcus swearing. Dave was thinking about Chris and how good it would feel to finally take that bastard out.

_Okay so this chapter is done, I've got some good news for you guys. I have to do training first, so my new job wont be starting for at least another two weeks, so you can expect a lot more chapters to come. I apologize in advance for my shorter chapter, my hand had been cramping and I had shit to do all day so I really had to rush to get this done. Please let know what you think and I apologize if this chapter isn't on par with the rest._


	12. Chapter 12

_Okay so on too chapter, twelve. I'm really enjoying the direction that this story is going, I'm having a lot of fun. Please let me know what you think, all of the encouragement and feedback is deeply appreciated. So, with that being said. ENJOY! Also BEWARE OF EROTIC ESPHIXATION... just.. you know... a heads up._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 12

They had two days, only two days to finish getting ready. Two days, to prepare, Marty and Marcus for what was to come. They made sure that every second was spent, training. They all agreed that they should only train for half of the second day, so that they would be full of energy. The plan was, on Christmas eve, to sneak into the harbor, find Chris' shipment, and stop whatever he had planned.

The first day was intense, Marcus knew that Mindy was good, but theirs a difference between knowing how good someone is, and experiencing it. Mindy was hard on all three of them, they all knew the score. They had to be prepared, so for those two days, it was do or die. The training had become even more intense, all four of them spent the whole day, training, because Marcus, and Marty, didn't have time to work out, they focused on honing their skills.

Mindy ended up giving both Marcus and Marty, bullet proof, thigh guards, shin guards, and vests. Marty wore his under his costume. She also attached, a few bullet proof plates, to Marty's shield, so that it was actually bullet proof. She decided the best areas to instruct the two of them was in guns and close quarters combat.

She focused on teaching Marty how to use an m1911 handgun. She equipped a silencer and taught Marty how to handle it, when he wasn't training in hand to hand, he was at the firing range, practicing his aim.

Mindy spent a lot of her time honing Marcus' skill with an M4 carbine. She attached a grip, ACOG scope, and a silencer to it. Because Marcus was a cop, he had a familiarity with firearms, so it was a lot easier to teach him then it was Marty. Mindy focused on Marcus' aim, since he wouldn't be getting into much close quarters combat.

Mindy spent a lot of time drilling all three of them, on how to clear a jam in the guns, and how to effectively reload, and aim, different shooting techniques. When none of that was happening, she and Dave were training. They fought with a great deal more aggression, each one was looking for weaknesses in the other. Trying their hardest to become better, in the short time they had left.

Even over the course of the two days, leading up to Christmas Eve, Chris didn't slow down his rampage. It was hard for the cops or the army to do anything, all the villains had to do was take off their costumes and they could just walk away. It was on the night leading up to Christmas eve. That the army began enforcing a curfew.

It was on the last day before, when they had finished their half day of training, when Mindy's mind started to wander. She had been so focused on training the last few days, that she hadn't thought very much about her relationship with Dave. As she was thinking about him, a thought struck her. They could be dead tomorrow, Dave was right, when he said that this mission was suicide. As Mindy thought to herself, she couldn't escape the fear, that tonight would likely be their last night together.

Marcus could tell that something was bothering Mindy, she had this look about her, a look that said, she was conflicted about something. After a few moments Marcus decided to go over and talk to her.

"Hey." Marcus stated as he sat next to her.

"Hey." Mindy replied, still deep in thought.

Marcus let out a sigh before beginning. "You know, if you want something you should go and ask for it."

"What?" Mindy asked as she turned to look at him.

"I was just saying that if you want something, then you should ask for it." Marcus replied plainly.

"What makes you think I want something?" Mindy asked curiously.

"You're not as hard to read, as you might think." Marcus replied in the same casual tone.

Mindy let out a sigh as she turned and scratched her head, a slight look of embarrassment on her face.

"It's about Dave, isn't it?" Marcus asked, looking over at her.

"Wha..." Mindy started, looking even more embarrassed.

"Look, I think I have an idea, about what you want to ask him, now I'm not going to get involved, I just want to pass along a little bit of advice." Marcus stated giving her a knowing look.

Mindy let out a sigh as she looked over at him. "What kind of advice?"

"Don't do anything that you're going to regret. That includes, not doing the things that you want to do." Marcus stated.

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked, confused.

"What I mean is, don't wake up tomorrow with any regrets." Marcus stated as he smiled at her.

Mindy stared at him for a few moments, before she smiled and hugged him. "Thanks Marcus."

"You know, in all the world there was only one person that your daddy loved more than you. And that was your mom. The two were perfect for each other. Until I met Damon, and saw him with your mother, I never truly believed in the concept of a 'soul mate'." Marcus told her with a little sadness.

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked as she looked at him.

"Well... do you know what a soul mate is?" Marcus asked.

"It's someone you're meant to be with, like when you're perfect for each other." Mindy replied with a smile.

"That's actually only half true. A soul mate is someone you're meant to be with, but its not because you're perfect for one another. In reality what two people being soul mates, actually means, is that they have loved before. Like in a previous life." Marcus explained.

"I'm not sure I understands." Mindy stated, staring at him with a confused look.

"When you consider, two people, soul mates, it's because you think they're perfect for each other. But, in reality the reason that they're soul mates, isn't because they're perfect for each other, it's because the love they feel for each other has been passed down through generations. It doesn't have to be through family. Or anything like that, I just think that once in a while the love that two people have for each other passes on to someone else..." Marcus stopped as he couldn't find the right words to continue.

"I still don't understand why your telling me this." Mindy stated, still confused.

"When your mother died. She passed on her capacity for love, too you. When she died, so did Damon, he may have kept going, but he was dead inside. He kept going until he found someone he could pass his capacity for love on too. I think that person was Dave. Every time I look at the two of you, I see your mom and dad. And the more I think about it, the more I've come to realize that, the two of you literally could not survive without each other. It's sad to think about... and yet, I can't think of anything more beautiful in all the world." Marcus finished with a little pride in his eyes.

Mindy just stared at him, trying so hard to not cry at that. All she could think to do was wrap her arms around Marcus. She kept hugging him for a few minutes, before she kissed him on the cheek and got up. "Thanks Marcus."

"Don't thank me, I was just making an observation." Marcus stated, feigning innocence.

Mindy just smiled at him as she turned to leave. She found Dave in the bathroom, he was washing the sweat off his face, from today's training.

"Hey, Dave." Mindy stated as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey... what's up?" Dave asked as he smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss.

Mindy just smiled at him, before letting go, and turning to shut the bathroom door, to give them some privacy.

"Dave... you know what could happen tomorrow?" Mindy started as she leaned against the shower stall.

"Yeah." Dave replied as he leaned on the wall across from her.

Mindy, sat there thinking for a second, trying to find the words to voice her request.

"Dave... I know that you said we should wait... but, I think we should be together tonight." Mindy stated looking at him, a little worry in her tone.

"Mindy..." Dave started as he stepped forward.

"Dave, I know that we promised we'd wait, but we might not have another chance. If I die tomorrow, the only thing I would regret more than not being able to kill Chris, is not having been able to make love to the man I love." Mindy stated with confidence.

Dave just stared at her for a second, he seemed lost in thought. After a moment he placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled.

"Don't think like that. We're going to stop that son of a bitch, and we're going to come home." Dave stated with confidence.

"I know. But what if we don't? What if we do die? I don't want to leave this world, not knowing what it's like to really be with you." Mindy stated, this time a little bit of sadness in her voice.

"Mindy." Dave stated as he stared at the ground.

"What is so bad, about the two of us being together? I want this! I can't for the life of me, figure out why you don't!" Mindy stated angrily.

"I do want this." Dave replied, as he continued to stare at the ground.

"Then why are you trying so hard to wait? Why the hell do we need to wait anyway? We're both fugitives, and the whole world already thinks we're fucking. So why don't we actually start?" Mindy stated starting to get annoyed.

"It's something to fight for." Dave stated looking up at her.

"What?" Mindy asked switching from anger to confusion.

"If I'm being honest, I wasn't going to wait for your birthday. With everything that's happened, it doesn't seem necessary." Dave stated as he leaned against the stall next to her.

"Then why?' Mindy asked still confused.

"That moment, were I can show you, without holding anything back, just how much I love you. That moment is my prize. It's what I get for beating him. It's something I want more than anything else, and yet, I don't deserve it yet. Chris is my fault. If I had killed him, back when we attacked his father. We wouldn't be in this mess now. If I had been stronger. I could have taken him out and we could be together. But I wasn't strong enough, Chris survived. Now my father is dead, Katie's in the hospital, and god only knows how many people he's killed so far. All of that blood is on my hands. And until I beat him, until I right that wrong. I don't deserve you." Dave finished explaining, guilt evident in his voice.

Mindy just stared at him for the longest time. She had always believed that Dave had blamed himself for what had happened to his dad, but she never knew that he blamed himself for everything Chris had done. To Dave, it was like Chris was his evil half, everything Chris did, had an impact of Dave.

Mindy could almost weep at the thought. He couldn't really be thinking like this, could he? If Dave was blaming himself for everything Chris had done, then the stress must be killing him. She had noticed the changes in Dave, since his dad died, she could understand them, he had lost someone close to him, that tends to cause some changes in a person. But recently Dave was beginning to show signs of PTSD. This wasn't just a few changes, these were drastic problems.

As she sat there, she remembered the first time her and Dave ran into Chris. Dave went berserk, he nearly lost his mind. It was very likely that if something wasn't done to help Dave out, then the next time they run into Chris, the same thing could happen. He needed something, something to keep him grounded. Mindy had absolutely no idea, what she could do for him.

After a moment, she decided to try and offer a piece of herself, Dave wanted her to be his prize, but he said nothing about getting a taste of what's to come.

"Alright. I get the idea of waiting to have sex until after, we kill Chris, to tell you the truth, the prospect of that being my reward, get's me fired up to go kill that crazy fuck. But I do need you now. So here's whats going to happen, I don't care what you do, I'm going to strip naked turn on the shower and pleasure myself while I think of you. And if you wanna help, you're welcome too." Mindy stated with a bit of confidence, even though she had in all actuality never masturbated before.

Dave just stared at her for a second until she started to undress, and he realized that she was serious.

"Um... Mindy?" He asked, as he struggled to avert his eye. He failed miserably.

"I'm not asking you to have sex with me. I just want to feel you in my arms, I want to feel that euphoria again." Mindy finished getting undressed, and as she finished pulling down her panties, she looked up at Dave, and found his eyes locked on her. The confidence she had a moment ago, vanished as she realized that she was completely naked in front of the man of her dreams.

Dave just stared at her. He had always thought that Mindy was the most beautiful girl he knew, and yet, as she stood before him, she had somehow become even more beautiful. A number of times he had imagined what she would look like naked, and out of all those times, he never even came close to the majestic creature that stood before him.

The trance Dave was in, broke when he looked into her eyes. He could tell immediately, by the reddening of her face, that she really didn't think this whole stripping nude, and pleasuring herself thing, through.

It took every ounce of courage Mindy had, not to cover herself up. No matter how embarrassed she was at that moment, Dave was still her lover, and she didn't want to hide from him. It didn't help when he locked eyes with her.

Dave was enthralled by her beauty. Everything about her he found perfect, from the subtle but noticeable blush of her face, to her cute erect nipples, perched atop her small breasts, to her toned smooth abs, to her cute, hairless, pussy. He had never before, seen such a sight as this. And yet even with her standing completely naked before him, Dave found his eyes return to hers, he always loved her eyes.

Dave found himself unable to comprehend time, it felt like he had been looking at her for ten, maybe twenty, minutes, but in reality, it was probably only a few seconds. He just couldn't find the strength to tear his eyes off of her, it took all his strength to break eye contact, and when he did, his eyes would begin to wander over her gorgeous body.

Dave had to laugh as he thought of a way to explain her beauty to himself. Everything about her was so amazing, if everything about her, was given a number to represent how beautiful it was, and you added it all together, Mindy's score would go up to infinity, somehow break past it, and then become some unknown quantity that was beyond infinity. That was basically the only way he could justify the way he was feeling. It was like, stumbling across the holy grail, or a unicorn, or a copy of "Amazing Spider-Man # 1". You just didn't see this kind of thing.

After a moment, Dave stood up and pulled Mindy into a kiss, his hands on either side of her face. Out of all their kisses, this one was definitely the most sensual.

Mindy was on cloud nine. She had never felt like this before, as Dave pulled her into the kiss, all of her embarrassment, vanished. Dave pulled her over to the edge of the shower stall, and finally broke the kiss as he turned to turn on the shower.

"You are so beautiful!' Dave whispered into her ear as he pulled her into another kiss.

Mindy blushed even more deeply, as they kissed.

After a few moments, Dave pulled back and started to undress. "You know what, fuck waiting till we kill Chris! If we get through tomorrow, I'm going to spend the rest of my life, pleasing you."

Mindy stared at him, as he pulled his shirt off. As always, she was turned on by the sight of his toned body. Her eyes traveled south, as he pulled off his pants, and boxers, exposing his erect, seven inch member. Mindy analyzed his whole body, she began to imagine him picking her up, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her deep into a kiss an-...

Mindy's thought process was cut off when her fantasy turned into reality, as Dave stepped forward and picked her up. Mindy let out a little laugh as she wrapped her legs around him. Dave pulled her into a kiss as he carried her into the shower, he used her to shield himself from the water which he had purposely left cold.

Mindy lets out a little scream, as the cold water hit her. "Asshole." She thought as one of her hands shot back to switch it to warm.

Dave pushed her against the side of the stall as the water flowed over them.

"So... if you're going to make me wait until, after tomorrow, them what in the hell are we going to do, tonight?" Mindy asked curiously as she pressed her back to the side of the stall, and looked at Dave.

"The number of things, we could do, that doesn't involve, actual sex, is quite long. I'm sure I can figure out something to entertain you." Dave replied as he pulled her into another kiss.

"Oh really?" Mindy purred into his ear.

"Yeah." Dave replied as he motioned for her to unwrap her legs from around him.

As she stood there, Dave began sliding his hands down her body. He continued to kiss her as his hands reached her breasts, he smiled into the kiss as he pinched her nipples.

Mindy let out a small moan as Dave teased her. This felt way better than last time. Everything about this moment was so erotic for her, the proclamations of their desire for one another before hand, all of the kissing, the warm water, gently flowing down their bodies. Mindy found it difficult to hide her, both physical and emotional, excitement about what was going to happen next.

Dave let one of his hands start sliding down her body, he could tell from the way that Mindy inhaled when he moved his hand, that she'd been waiting for this part. Dave couldn't help but muse to himself how fun their lives would be together once Chris was gone. Mindy ceartainly wasn't going back to being normal, and Dave wasn't going to let her fight alone. He smiled to himself as he thought about their life together. It would probably consist of waking up, fucking, training, fucking, training again, going out to fight crime, probably more fucking, going home, fucking one last time, then going to bed and repeat the cycle, sprinkle a few meals into that schedule and that sounded like a pretty awesome life. Dave snapped out of his fantasy when he heard Mindy take a sharp inhale, as he reached her sensitive center.

Dave pulled away from the kiss, he wanted to watch her expression as he began sliding his fingers along her slit.

Mindy let out a moan, as he began touching her. The way that he just smiled at her, drove her crazy, if she hadn't been worried he might refuse, she would have jumped his bones, already.

After a few seconds Dave inserted his middle finger, Mindy let out a gasp, as she felt a wave of pleasure wash over her body. After a few seconds Mindy found her self gently grinding against his hand.

All Dave could do was grin at her, her eyes were closed, she was arching back, and she was gently moaning. There was nothing sexier in all the world.

Dave inserted another finger, as he leaned down to kiss her nipples. That was one thing that Dave had trouble with, he loved everything about Mindy, but her height was just one of those things that you had to compensate for.

Dave was amazed at how tight she was, the way she gripped his fingers, he wondered if, when they did have sex, if he'd even be able to get inside of her.

Dave did confirm an inference he had made, he was pretty sure that her hymen would be long gone, and now he was able to confirm it. "Well that's nice, I guess we don't have to take it slow then." Dave thought to himself.

After a few more seconds, Dave pulled his fingers out, and pulled Mindy into a deep kiss. He enjoyed the feeling of their naked bodies pressed together. He was vaguely aware of his throbbing member pressed up between the two of them.

"Why'd you stop?" Mindy asked breathlessly, as she kissed him again.

"Cuz. Theirs some other things I'd like to do too you." Dave stated, as he kissed her neck.

Dave slowly started to kiss his way down her body, he kissed down her neck, down her collar bone, to her breasts, he gently kissed both nipples, he heard Mindy let out a small moan at that. He dropped to his knees and continued to kiss his way down her body. He continued past her abs and down to her pelvis. Dave stopped and looked up at Mindy who was staring down at him.

Dave had to stop himself from laughing as he wondered if she had any idea what he was doing down there. He had to admire how beautiful she looked as the water flowed down her body.

After a moments pause, he reached out, grabbed her ass, and began kissing her pussy. After a few kisses he began running his tongue along her slit, he spent a moment or two teasing her before he got in between he legs, and started to really pleasure her.

It was at this moment Dave, redacted his earlier complaint about her height, because as he was pleasuring her with his tongue he was able to keep one hand on her ass, to help pull her into him, and use the other, to play with her breasts.

After a few more moments of stimulation, Mindy felt that feeling return, the one she had been waiting for, by now she had been rocking back and fourth, trying to force his tongue further inside of her.

Dave heard Mindy start to moan louder, a part of him wanted to stay where he was but another part thought that just like before this should be as emotional and loving as if could be. So Dave pulled back and quickly stood up, Mindy looked at him for a second wondering what he was planning, when he suddenly pulled her into a kiss and used his fingers to quickly push her past her limit.

Mindy reached her orgasm, she was glad that Dave's lip were against hers, because if they weren't, she would have let out a loud moan that everyone in the headquarters would have heard her. She melted into his arms, this orgasm was better then the last one. She leaned against Dave, breathless. Waves of pleasure still echoing through her body.

After a few moments the pleasure died down. Mindy looked at Dave and smiled at him, "Since we're already naked, do you want me to repay you?"

"What?" Dave let out a laugh

Mindy wrapped her hand around Dave's dick, and started to stroke it. Dave let out a sigh as Mindy smiled at him.

"You, just going off of what you've seen prostitutes do?" Dave asked.

"After the last time, you got me off, I wanted to find out ways to pleasure you. So I did some research." Mindy stated as she licked her lips and dropped to her knees.

"Oh." Was all Dave could say, as Mindy started to kiss the end of his member, and then wrapped her lips around it.

Now there are times when you can tell how experienced someone is by how they do something. You can tell when they've had prior experience, and when they've just spent a lot of time studying. Mindy may not of been experienced but she was definitely aware of what she was doing.

Dave placed his hand on the top of her head, being careful not to force her too do anything, after a few moment he started to stroke her hair. A few moments went by when Dave noticed that Mindy had a hand between her legs.

Dave was enjoying the blow-job, and the fact that Mindy was pleasuring herself while she was doing it, made it all the sexier.

All in all Mindy could only get about half of him into her mouth, but that didn't matter. With all of the pent of urges he'd been having, plus the lack of masturbation on his part in the last few weeks, Dave wasn't slated to last very long.

As he felt his orgasm approaching, he felt it prudent to warn Mindy seeing as how this was her first time. He gently pulled her back, she looked up at him, he saw a quick flicker of worry shoot across her face. Dave made sure to dissolve that worry, right away.

"God, Mindy! You're amazing. I'm so close." Dave stated, as he finished speaking he saw Mindy begin to finger herself harder. "She must be close too." He thought to himself.

"Good. So am I." Mindy stated as she took his dick back into her mouth.

"Don't.. mean to interrupt you... but... um... you do know... what... happens when.. a... guy... cums... right?" Dave asked, as he quickly approached his limit.

"I gotta try taking a load in my mouth sooner or later Dave. Might as well be now." She replied as she pulled back.

She resumed, and began stroking as well, after another moment, Dave heard her, let out a moan, as she reached her orgasm. That was more than enough for him, as he let out a moan. To accompany what had to have been one of the best orgasms he'd ever had. After a moment he looked down at Mindy, her lips still wrapped around the end of his dick. He felt her swallow before, pulling back and looking up at him.

"Well?' Dave asked trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Count your lucky stars Dave, I think you found a swallower." Mindy stated as she stood up.

"Wasn't that bad?" Dave asked as he kissed her, the faint taste of cum on her breath.

"Not as bad as I would have thought. So how did I do?" She replied as she pulled away.

"You were amazing." Dave stated as he pulled her into a hug.

"Good, I spent enough time practicing with a banana." she replied casually.

Dave stared at her for a second, until she finally grinned and perked an eyebrow to show that she was joking, the two of them began laughing, as Dave turned the water off.

"So... barring no serious accidents, am I getting laid after tomorrow?" Mindy asked as she started to step out of the shower.

"You bet your ass." Dave stated as he gave her a firm slap on the ass.

Mindy turned to look at him, mouth open. "You dick!" She growled playfully.

Dave just let out a laugh as he picked up his clothes. "Tonight, we should go over the plan for tomorrow, with the others, let them think about it, then we can go over it one more time tomorrow."

"Yeah. I agree... Do you think the others will notice." Mindy asked a little embarrassed.

"Well... yeah." Dave stated with a smile. "We did spend about an hour in here."

"We've been in here for that long?" Mindy stated as she pulled on her clothes.

"Time flies when you're having fun." Dave giggled as he finished putting his clothes on.

"I guess." Mindy stated as she finished putting her clothes on.

"Mindy." Dave stated as he turned and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Look I just want you to know. That know matter what happens, I will follow you wherever you go. Into the jaws of death if I have too. We're partners, you and I." Dave stated as he looked deep into her eyes.

"I'd rather be dead, then without you." Mindy replied as she kissed him.

The two young loves held their embrace for a few moments before stepping out. Marcus and Marty's dad were talking, while Marty, and his mom were watching the news. They, all turned to look at the two, damp lovers. Dave looked at Marty and Marcus, before stating. "We have some work to do."

* * *

_Okay so I know they're was a lot of, adult stuff, don't worry, I won't be teasing you much longer... UNLESS EVERYONE DIES! or maybe not, anyway, I hope you enjoyed, please let me know what you think, I am a recovery Review whore and I require sustenance. Look forward to another chapter soon._


	13. Chapter 13

_Okay so on to chapter 13, I want to thanks ThePenReader, for pointing out the unrealistic leaps and bounds, that are occurring in the city, I know it all doesn't make sense but I want to assure you all, that, that was the point. Have no fear, I still remember this stories roots. And I haven't strayed from the path. So with that being said, let's begin._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 13

Dave and Mindy lay awake, staring at the ceiling, neither one could sleep, it was probably 2:30 in the morning, they were too busy, thinking about, their plan. Everyone was worried about the upcoming mission. They all had a sickening, gut, feeling. They had no idea what they were walking into. There could only be few guys at the harbor, or Chris' whole army. They had no idea.

The two lovers, lay next to each other, and yet their minds could not be further apart. Mindy was focused on the mission, while Dave was focused on Chris. Dave felt that something was wrong, Chris was a fucking psychopath. There was no way in hell he could be coordinating this many attacks in the city. Hell, the fucking Joker, was never able to pull off this kind of continued siege.

After a few moments Dave decided to get Mindy's opinion.

"Hey, Mindy, can I ask you something?" Dave asked as he rolled onto his side to look at her.

"Sure." Mindy replied after a moment, as she did the same.

"Look... I've been racking my brain, trying to figure out, where in the hell, Chris became such a coordinated super villain. I mean, Chris is to much of a psycho, to have been able to pull all of this off, without getting caught." Dave finished explaining his problem.

Mindy looked like she was deep in thought. After a few moments she finally replied. "You're right... in fact..." Mindy stated as she got up.

Dave, got up and followed her. Mindy walked out of the bedroom, and into the main training room.

"What are you thinking?" Dave asked.

Mindy turned to look at him for a second, she wore a look, that said she was, trying to piece something together.

"What?" Dave asked again.

"He has to be getting help. You're right. This is all too well planned." Mindy stated, as she started to pace back and forth in front of him.

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking." Dave replied.

"Who the hell could be helping him?" Mindy asked to herself, as she continued to pace.

"I have no fucking clue. It just bothers me, not only is he attacking one of the largest cities in the world with little to no repercussions, but he somehow made it impossible for us to do any research or reconnaissance." Dave mused, as he leaned against a wall.

"You're right. He cut off every avenue, we had. We can't go out in costume, we can't go out normally, the only option he's left us is to flee the city..." Mindy stopped in front of him.

"... he's not just doing good, he's doing damn near perfect. He's been attacking a major U.S. population center, for almost a week now, and the government still hasn't been able to stop him. He also somehow, magically got his hands on, what has to be, one of the best hackers in all the world." Mindy finished, staring at him.

She stared at him for a few seconds, as she was thinking, realization finally struck her. As she was about to speak however, her and Dave heard someone cough in the shadows of the room.

"Who's there?" Mindy asked as Dave grabbed a gun off the wall.

A light turned on revealing a man in a black suit. He was probably late thirty's, he looked incredibly worn out. The guy must not have slept in a few days, his eyes were dark, but piercing. He had dark brown hair and a small goatee.

The man didn't flinch as Dave handed Mindy the gun. She quickly leveled it at the strange man's head before asking. "Who are you?"

The man casually held up his hands in surrender. He just stared at her for a second, then looked at Dave.

"You know, I was surprised when they told me that Hit Girl, was a fifteen year old. I mean I find it impressive when the new guy, can kick my ass. Imagine the surprise we all had, when we learned, the little purple killer running around out there, was actually a teenager." The man stated casually, keeping his hands raised.

"Who are you?" Mindy stated again, this time she cocked the gun back.

"Look, it would take more time than either of us have, for me to explain to you who I am, so let's just say that I'm a spook, here representing a multitude of government agencies." The man replied casually as he lowered his hands. "You can call me Harper."

"You're a spook? You mean like a spy?" Dave asked with a 'what the fuck' face.

"Spy, agent, employee, spook, asshole, investigator, representative, you name it. Look, you mind lowering that thing? I'm just here to talk." The man stated, without an ounce of fear in his eyes.

Mindy stared at the man, a thousand thoughts were going through her head, who was this guy, what did he want, why was he here? Mindy found herself able to ask the last one. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to stop your raid on the harbor, that you have scheduled for tonight." He answered plainly.

Mindy and Dave's eyes went wide. "How?" was all Mindy could ask.

"We've known who you two were since you took down Frank D'Amico. About five days after you killed him, we found out who the two of you were. We found all of your properties, and we began monitoring you. Bugged a number of packages you had delivered to this building, miss Macready. Theirs about eight bugs hidden in some of these weapons. So that's basically how we know what you are planning." Harper finished explaining.

Mindy lowered her weapon and just stared at him. "You assholes, have been spying on me?"

"Well, lets think about this for a second. A ten year old, shows up out of nowhere, and kills over twenty-five people in the course of a few days. We'd be idiots if we didn't start spying on you." Harper stated in a condescending tone.

Suddenly becoming very irritated Mindy growled out. "Cunt! I will shoot you in the balls!"

Dave turned and tried to calm her down.

"No Dave! I hate when people talk to me, like they're such tough shits." Mindy growled at Harper, her eyes on fire.

"That was a very passionate love scene, that occurred between the two of you, yesterday." Both Mindy and Dave stopped. "Look... lets just say for all intents and purposes that, we've been watching every move you've made since your attack on D'Amico's penthouse."

The two just stared at him, he looked, very calm, very relaxed. After a few more moments of staring. He finally spoke again. "Since that day we have followed the two of you. We know everything you've done, we know what your going to do, and we know why you're doing it..."

Harper stared at the two of them, after a moment a look of admiration crossed his face. "I would like too be the first, to extend my deepest condolences for your losses. I also would like to extend my deepest gratitude, for all that you have done."

Dave and Mindy stared at him for another moment, before Dave finally spoke up. "Why are you here?"

"To save your lives. To offer you a job, and to gauge for myself, if the two of you, are all you're cracked up to be." Harper finished explaining as he took a few steps forward into the center of the room.

"Save us? Save us from what?" Mindy asked, as she set down the gun.

"Tonight. The harbor. Its a trap." Harper explained casually.

Dave and Mindy both swore to themselves. Dave began to get angry as he remembered that Todd was the one that gave them the info.

"Don't get upset, your idiot friend had no idea. He was a pawn, they used him to get you two to walk right into their hands."

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked.

"Chris' bosses made sure to have Chris leak a story about a shipment tonight. Naturally the two of you would investigate, and when you got there, Chris and his bosses would be waiting for you." Harper informed them.

"Are you serious?" Dave asked as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Yep." Harper replied, with no emotion.

Mindy looked Harper over a few times before deciding to take a chance and trust him. "Who are Chris' bosses?"

"There are six of them. You wouldn't recognize their names, but you will recognize the organization they run. All six are international, criminal factions. You've got a Mexican drug cartel, Chinese Triads, The Chicago, Italian, and Russian mobs, and finally some Japanese yakuza." Harper finished telling them.

Dave and Mindy just stared at him. It took a moment for Mindy to finally speak. "Are you shitting me?"

Harper just smiled in reply.

"Six different criminal faction, want us dead?" Mindy asked.

"Yep." Harper replied, still smiling.

Both Dave and Mindy looked at each other, they were stuck between, unable to believe it, and scared shitless, that it might be true.

"Why?" Dave eventually asked.

"You're a problem. You'd get in the way of their plans, that's all. In reality they don't really have a reason to want you dead, other than to stop the two of you from being an annoyance later." Harper explained, with a shrug.

"You're telling us, that six, criminal factions, came together, so that they could stop us, from being a problem, in the future?" Mindy asked slightly slack jawed.

"Yes, but they didn't come together for you. These groups came together a few years back, they've been secretly working together since then, and they've made quite a lot of money since then. These groups are grossing an average of forty-five billion dollars a year. Because of their cooperation." Harper explained to them.

"Look they want New York. Ever since you killed Frank D'Amico, theirs been a power vacuum here in the city. How things should have worked is either Chris or Ralph D'Amico, should have taken over, and filled the power vacuum, put they didn't. Chris built his own army, and Ralph had all of his men lay low. That left an enormous power vacuum, that the two of you have only been making larger." Harper continued.

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked, eying him suspiciously.

"Look, everything in the world holds power, when you remove something, its power is left behind. Now anyone can take this power, usually it's the person or group that removed what held that power previously. But if they don't, if the power is left out in the open, then eventually, greedy eye's will fall upon it. People will show up, and they'll try to take it. You two keep killing criminals, and all that's doing is adding to the power vacuum, because the two of you aren't seizing any of that power for yourselves. You've created such a large power vacuum, that, if one person, or group seizes it, they'll own the city. Now Chris, Chris doesn't give a damn about owning the city. He just wants to cause havoc. His life goal appears to be like the joker. He intends to be an agent of chaos." Harper explained slowly.

"These organizations are just using Chris?" Dave asked a little disbelief in his voice.

"Yep. They tell him how to do things without getting caught, they provide the resources, he takes the blame. All of the bombs, the weapons, the plan to humiliate Dave on national television. The hacker. All of it came from this conglomerate of criminals." Harper answered plainly.

"Why? What the hell, do these organizations want?" Mindy asked, with disbelief.

"They want New York. They want L.A. They want San Diego, Houston, Austin, Minneapolis, Vegas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit, Boston, so on and so fourth. They want our cities. They plan on using the power they gain from taking New York, to fuel the land grab that will follow if they're successful." Harper explained darkly.

"Why the hell aren't you doing anything to stop them?!" Mindy almost shouted in reply.

"We don't have the manpower. All of our technology is useless against them." Harper responded angrily.

"What? Bombs still kill people, you stupid cunt! What the hell do you mean your technology is ineffective?" Mindy asked again, a mixture of anger and disbelief on her face.

"What does a criminal, look like?" Harper asked in response.

Mindy stopped and looked at him. She stared at him for a second, before Dave spoke up, finally understanding what Harper meant.

"They look like us. They're just regular people. They don't wear uniforms, they don't wear their affiliation like a shield." Dave stated sadly.

"Exactly. These cocksuckers, are living in our homes, working at our jobs. They could be our neighbors and we would never know. These guys aren't soldiers. Their criminals, they live in apartments, not military bases. They spend their time running drugs, not drills. They're everyday schmucks, like you and me. The reason why we can't stop them, is because we are them. You can't drop a cruise missile onto a drug dealers house, because he lives in an apartment, with forty other people, and all of them are innocent. You can't send a tank battalion rolling down the street to attack, a cartel compound, because on either side of the compound are homes, or businesses. You can't send in an army platoon to take out a gang of street thugs, because the second they see the uniform, all they need to do, is not pull their guns and walk away." Harper explained, he looked quite upset about admitting it.

Mindy and Dave spent a moment thinking about what he said. He was right. The U.S. armed forces were like a hammer. And this problem was like a sickness growing on your skin, their is little a hammer could do, without hurting the body.

After a moment Mindy looked up at Harper. He was staring back at the two of them, Mindy could detect a small fire in his eyes.

"You said, you came here to save us. Why?" Mindy asked suspiciously.

Harper stared at Mindy for a few moments, analyzing her, he then looked over at Dave and did the same. After a moment he rubbed his eyes before beginning. "I saved you, because the United States of America needs heroes like you. I'm here to offer the two of you a job."

Mindy and Dave both looked at him confused, "What?" They both said at the same time.

"I am here to offer the two of you a job." He stated again.

"What job?" Mindy asked, a look of confusion still plastered on her face.

"It's a simple job, really. All we want you to do, is form, train, and lead, a specialized group of individuals. Your mission will be the eradication of criminal elements within the city of New York." Harper answered, is such a plain and professional manner, it almost seemed like he was kidding.

"Are you joking?" Dave asked looking at Harper like he had two heads.

"Nope." Harper answered with a small smile.

"You're serious?" Mindy asked, with the same bewildered look.

"Absolutely." Harper replied, keeping his smirk.

Dave and Mindy just stared at him for a moment. After a few seconds Dave just had to ask. "You want us to be superheroes?"

"Pretty much." Harper answered, he looked like he was having fun.

"The U.S. government, broke into my headquarters, to ask me to do what I've been doing, for years?" Mindy asked, she couldn't get over how surreal this was.

"Yeah, basically." Harper answered with a chuckle.

Dave and Mindy just stared at him, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"But before we get to that, there is something we need you to do first." Harper stated seriously.

"What would that be?" Mindy inquired suspiciously.

"You might want to go and gather the other members of your little team." Harper stated plainly as he walked over to lean against a wall.

Mindy looked over at Dave, before nodding for him to go get the others.

Mindy and Harper, sat in silence and a few moments later, Dave brought Marcus, and Marty, out.

The group made introductions, and Mindy recapped what they'd learned so far. When they finished Marcus began eying Harper suspiciously.

"So... you want us to form our own Avengers." Marty asked with a laugh.

"Maybe. But that's for later. Right now I need you to do something." Harper stated with a grin.

"Whats that?" Marcus asked suspiciously

"I need you to stop Chris' plan, tonight." He replied plainly.

"What plan is that?" Dave asked, curiously.

"Chris is finally making a move on his uncle. He and his men are going to launch an attack on the prison. He's going to kill his uncle, take control of whats left of his fathers empire, and gain a surplus of violent criminals, from the prisoners he frees. Theirs over one thousand prisoners in that building, and if Chris takes it, Things will switch from bad to worse." Harper explained carefully.

"You want us to stop Chris and his four hundred guys from taking over a prison?" Marty asked in disbelief.

"No... I need you to make a show. I need the four of you to restore the public's faith in heroes." Harper stated with conviction.

"And that involves us becoming Martyrs?" Mindy asked, with a huff.

"No... look we know about their plan. The army will roll into action a few minutes after Chris' forces launch the attack. All I need you four to do, is be in the spot light, until the army arrives. Give the people of this city a show. Remind them of the heroes, that protected them all these years. Restore their faith in you." Harper finished.

"The U.S. government, wants us to be heroes?" Mindy asked.

"Yes! They want you to be heroes! Look, the people of this city need to be reminded, about what you've sacrificed for them. The US government, can't officially support you, but if you have the public's support, then the powers that be, will be more inclined to help you." Harper stated with a little excitement.

"I want you to go out there and put the fear of god into those bastards. I want you to give this city a show, I want this whole damn country to know that average every day, citizens, are still encouraged to stand up and fight. Regardless of what anyone tells you. We are at war, a war on crime. We need heroes like you. People who are willing to stand and fight, no matter the cost." Harper stated, in an encouraging tone.

Mindy and Dave looked at each other. They shared a silent conversation between the two of them. He was right. It was time to stop hiding. It was time to show the world what they're made of.

Mindy looked at Marty and Marcus, both gave her a slight nod to show their support. Mindy smiled to herself as she turned to face Harper. "Just give us a time and we'll be there."

"6:00 pm. Show up, hold the bad guys off for a few moments, stick around until the army shows up. Then you're free to leave. If the army corners you, surrender. We'll make sure your free within the hour." Harper stated as he turned to leave.

"What do we do afterwords?" Dave asked.

"Hide. We'll be in contact." Harper stated as he left.

The four sat in silence as they stared at the door. Things had taken a turn for the weird. But at least they had a set goal, and the chance to kill Chris, was still on the table. After a few moments of silence, Mindy turned to look at the others, after a moment her gaze fell on Dave, who looked deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

"He wants us to put on a show, to make people believe in heroes. I think I've got a plan, that's going to accomplish that goal and much more." Dave stated as he turned and started to walk over to the computer.

"What are you planning?" Mindy asked as they all turned to follow him.

"Kickass is a symbol, he's a hero, but the truth is, that he died with my dad. It's time for people to know what happened to Kickass. He was a hero to the people of this city, he inspired so many people to go out and help others. I can't be him any longer. No matter how hard I try I can't be that symbol..." Dave stopped as a far away look, crossed his face.

"Dave...?" Mindy asked with a questioning look of her face.

"I don't have to be that symbol anymore. The legacy that Kickass left is still alive, I just have to let people know, what happened. I have to let them know what their hero died for. I have to tell them that, after all the good that Kickass did, he chose to give it all up for someone he loved." Dave finished as he sat in front of the computer.

Mindy just wrapped an arm around him and leaned against him, a sad smile on her face.

"I promised my dad that I would stop being Kickass. That's a promise that I intend to keep. If I'm going to do that, then people, deserve to know what happened. I'm gonna tell them, I'm going to fuel the flames of Kickass's legacy. I'm going to spread his message. And maybe one day, The Fallen will no longer be needed, and Kickass can finally return. To quote The Dark Knight, 'Kickass is the hero that this city deserves. But not the one it needs right now.'" Dave finished as he began logging into one of the hero websites.

Mindy just leaned against him in silence, musing over what the world would be like when heroes like The Fallen, and Hit Girl, were no longer needed. A day when heroes like, Battle guy, Kickass, and Colonel Stars and Stripes, could return and make the world a better place.

_Okay so this chapter is done. I hope you enjoyed the slight twist. I noticed through all of the Fanfics I've read, that there never really any big changes in sides. It's usually, Dave and Mindy against Chris. Now, I get that that's the main conflict, and I'm not writing that part out. I'm just exploring the possibility of something like a much darker and sinister organization pulling the strings. And whats going to happen to our heroes, if they get involved with the government? Anyway, if I may I'd like to pose a question to you all, what branch of the government does Harper work for. Your choices are. -FBI, CIA, DOD, DEA, INTERPOL, or NSA- let me know what you think. _


	14. Chapter 14

_Okay so, moving on, to the next chapter, I'd still like to hear your theories about who Harper is working for. And remember, this is international, because Chris is being funded, by international criminal organizations. Also, just like to say, I love writing, love scenes. I love putting emotion into things, I feel like it's my strongest characteristic. Anyway lets get to the next chapter. Its time for our heroes to face off against Chris. Whats going to happen? I don't know. Please let me know how this chapter turns out. Theirs going to be a lot of fighting, so feedback is deeply appreciated._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 14

Mindy stared sadly at her phone, she was reading what Dave had posted on the hero website. To start with, he confirmed what the world already knew, that he was Kickass. He then began to tell them why he became Kickass, and how he'd spent his whole like dreaming of being a superhero.

He told them how great it felt to inspire people, and give hope to them. He told them what it was like, meeting real heroes, like Hit Girl, and Big Daddy. He told them how it felt to finally put down the mask, and the drive to put it back on. He told them about Justice Forever, and the friends he had made there.

He told them about Chris, about how he betrayed Dave to get to Big Daddy. How he became The Motherfucker. Dave told them about his dad, about how his dad took the fall for being Kickass, when the cops, came knocking. He told them how Chris, had his father murdered.

He told them how he had promised his father before he died, that he would never be Kickass, again. He told them that Kickass died that day, with his father.

Mindy paused, for a second. There was a profound sadness in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know why, it was just there. After a moment she continued to read.

She read on, as Dave told the world about the pain he felt, about how he had lost himself. He finished by hinting at his new identity, he said that he "left all of his hopes and his dreams, with Hit Girl, The Fallen, and the heroes of this city." and that, "One day, when The Fallen, is no longer needed, Kickass may be able to return."

Mindy, read, and reread his words at least a dozen times. For some reason, to her, it felt like a eulogy.

After a few minutes of staring at her phone, an alarm went off on her watch. It was 4:30 pm. Time to get ready.

Mindy walked out into the dojo, she found the rest of the group there, already getting ready. The rest of the group, was starting to strap on armor. Mindy walked over to a locker, opened it, and grabbed her costume.

After a few moments, everyone was finished, getting into costume. Mindy examined the group, Dave was dressed in his The Fallen costume. Marty was dressed in a slightly modified version of his normal costume, His costume was a lot more pronounced version of his normal costume, he had body armor underneath it. Marcus was dressed, almost exactly like a member of SWAT, except without the helmet. Instead he had balaclava to hide, his face.

The group, began strapping on their weapons, and gathering ammo. They didn't say anything to one another. They just prepared in silence.

As Mindy finished gearing up, she looked over and saw Dave holding his swords in his hands, he was in full costume so she couldn't tell what his expression was, but for some reason, it just felt like something was off.

After a moment he twirled his swords in his hands and sheathed them. He stood, motionless for a few seconds before, he turned to look at her.

He and Mindy stared at one another for a few moments. Mindy found strength in the knowledge, that no matter what happened today, Dave would always love her.

After a moment Dave walked over to her. Mindy couldn't help but feel uneasy, whenever he wore that costume. It was awesome, she thought it made him look like a supreme badass, but that was Hit Girl talking, not Mindy. Mindy thought it was cool at first, but now that she knew who was hiding under the mask, that costume always made her feel off.

More and more, it seemed like Dave, was losing his grasp on who he really was. It seemed like there were four people living in one body. The first was normal Dave. Normal Dave, was the one that blamed himself for everything, he was the moody one. Then there was her Dave. This was the one that was always loving, and caring. The one that held her every night. The one that she was in love with. The third was Kickass. Even though Dave said that Kickass had died, there were times when she noticed him. At times, Dave would act like he used too. He'd be goofy, laid back, he'd fight villains for fun. It was like the first time she ever met The Fallen. He had acted casual and laid back while he was getting rid of two, would be, robbers. The final persona, was the one that Mindy was most worried about, The Fallen. It seemed like he was becoming a much more dominant part of Dave's persona. The Fallen, was cold and merciless. He would kill anyone who committed a crime, and he wasn't hesitant about voicing his displeasure at letting criminals get away.

Mindy stared up at Dave as he loomed over her. After a moment he held up his hand and said, "Are you ready to raise a little hell?"

Mindy smiled, and clasped his hind, as she stated. "Fuck yeah!"

The two stared at each other for a moment, neither one needed to say anything else, they knew how the other felt.

After another moment Marcus and Marty joined them. The four turned and stared at one another, deep admiration and respect for one another, evident in each of their eyes.

"Ready to save the city?" Marty asked.

"Let's put that son of a bitch, in the ground, and end this." Dave stated at they all turned to leave.

Marty looked back for only a second to see his parents, standing at the bedroom door. Both had a look, that spoke volumes, about the admiration and love they felt for their son.

"Are you scared?" Marty silently asked Dave, as they walked to the car.

"For the first time in my life, Marty, I'm not afraid to die. I'm afraid of losing the people I care about."

"Hey man..." Marty stated as he and Dave slowed putting a few feet of distance, between them and the others.

"What is it?" Dave asked, looking at him.

"I just wanted to say that, no matter what happens tonight, I appreciate everything you've done for me." Marty stated with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Dave asked with a little laugh.

"Kickass was the guy that motivated me to get off my ass and help people. And even though its been a tough ride, I just wanted you to know that I've had the time of my life. And I wanted to thank you for that." Marty finished.

Dave just stared at him for a second, he had a big smile under his mask. "Thanks for standing with me, man."

"Anytime." Marty replied as they turned to catch up with the others.

As they all piled into Dave's car. An air of serenity descended upon them. No one said anything while Marcus drove them towards the prison. They parked two blocks away and quickly made their way towards the prison. By the time it was in sight, it was 5:25 PM.

The prison sat on top of a hill, in the middle of a field, just outside the city. The group hid in an alley just across the street, and waited.

"So whats the game plan?" Marcus asked, squatting down.

The others took a knee next to him and began contemplating how they should handle this.

After a moment Mindy spoke up. "Alright. We'd never be able to take all of those cocksuckers in a straight up fight. So camping out in front of the prison is a no go. So, if we can't be at the prison waiting for them to arrive, then we're going to have to wait, until the attack begins, to make our move."

"You're right." Marcus stated as he scanned the others.

"Okay. So, we wait until Chris launchs his attack. Once his guys are in the prison, we charge in after them. Once inside we need to find Ralph D'Amico's cell. That's where Chris will be headed." Dave explained.

"Ralph will be in the maximum security wing." Marcus added.

"Okay so at least we know what part of the prison to head to." Marty stated with a snicker.

"It's going to be chaos in there." Marcus explained. "The second, those cells fly open, the prisoners will riot. Chris has 400 guys. Theirs over 1000 prisoners in that building."

"Yeah, all the bad guys we could want, right Dave?" Mindy laughed.

"Theirs only one, I care about." Dave replied with a huff.

"More for me, then." Mindy replied with a shrug.

"We stick together in there. No getting separated." Marcus stated to the three of them.

"Right." They all stated.

They all waited in silence as 6:00 rolled by. They watched as exactly five minutes after, a dozen buses rounded the corner at the end of the street.

"I bet you my sweet ass, those buses are filled with Chris' cunts." Mindy stated more to herself than anyone else. Dave and Marcus just looked at her, while Marty snickered.

As the buses passed them, they could see that the windows were tinted black. Mindy had to guess that the buses were armored on the inside. It was a moment before the first bus turned and started driving up the hill toward the prison. The group watched as all of the buses followed.

The first bus picked up speed as it rammed down the front gates. The rest of the buses quickly drove in. As the last bus passed the gate, shots began to ring out across the field. At first just a few, but then more and more, until it was continuous.

The heroes broke into a sprint as they exited the alley and began running up the hill toward the prison. It took them a few seconds to crest the hill but when they did they saw pure chaos.

Criminals with guns, bombs, bats, and blades were pouring out of the buses, each bus had to have had about thirty-five people on it. Chris had definitely brought his whole army. The guards up in theirs towers, were busy trying to shoot down at the buses but they were pinned down by the numerous gun wielding cunts.

Dave scanned the crowd of villains until he found his target. Chris was walking with his lieutenants, across the prison yard. The only one that was missing was Mother Russia. Chris' group made their way to one of the entrances, they were quickly followed by a swarm of costumed criminals.

"Watch yourselves. The guards don't know we're on their side." Marcus warned as they all began charging towards the prison.

"Forget the yard! Follow after Chris!" Dave shouted to the others as he drew his swords. Mindy took out her Bo staff, Marty raised his shield and gun, in a very Captain America, fashion. Marcus unslung his M4.

The four charged through the crowd of cunts. With all of the chaos, no one seemed to notice the four heroes.

The four of them took whatever shots they could get. Marcus and Marty both let off a few shots as they charged forward. While Dave and Mindy were lashing out with their blades at anyone that got close. They didn't waste anytime clearing the crowd and making a bee line for the entrance that Chris used. Mindy made a mental count of the number of people they killed, all in all just from charging through the cunts, they had probably managed to kill, ten or so.

As they cleared the front doors, they were greeted to a scene of bloodshed and carnage. four guards lay dead, shot multiple time. There were three cunts busy looting their corpses.

Dave let out a growl, as he tackled the nearest one. Marcus quickly raised his rifle and shot the other two before the other two could react. Dave quickly drove his sword into the disorientated thug's chest, killing him instantly.

Dave was quickly back on his feet. "Which way is the high security wing?" He shouted.

Mindy scanned the halls, she quickly found the direction, posted on the walls. "It's this way! Let's go!"

The four charged down the hallway towards the high security wing. All throughout their charge, shots were ringing out all across the prison.

As they rounded another corner, they came across six more cunts. Mindy charged headlong into the group. As she reached the closest guy, she dropped to her knees and sliced across his stomach. She was quickly back to her feet and one of the guys ran at her with a knife. Mindy quickly parried the strike with her staff. As the man stumbled back Mindy lashed out with her staff, she swiped across the guys legs, slicing one, and severing the other.

The man screamed as he fell to the floor. Mindy quickly finished him off with a stab to the chest. By now the other four guys had noticed her and were charging forward, one raised a handgun and aimed it at Mindy's head. Mindy noticed the gun and was about to react when, the hammer fell back on the gun. Right before it went off, Dave jumped in front of the shot, because of his superior height, the shot hit his chest, instead of Mindy's head.

Before the thug could fire again, Marcus side stepped Dave and Mindy and fire a few shots into the oncoming thugs. Two went down, while the others were saved by bullet proof armor. Dave and Mindy quickly closed the distance between the two remaining thugs. Dave smashed into his, target, he quickly finished him off by stabbing the man in the throat. Mindy was much more elegant about her kill, she jumped on the disorientated, thug, and used her weight and momentum, to slam the thug into the ground. She quickly drove her staff into the man's gut. He let out a scream of pain as Mindy got to her feet.

Mindy was about to retrieve her staff when she heard movement in the doorway behind her. She turned just in time to see a thug with a bat take a swing at her. He hit her in the ribs with the bat, luckily there wasn't a lot of power behind is strike, it was only enough to knock her down. As the man wound back for another strike, Marty fired off a round, which just so happened to pass right through the guys brain.

As the man fell, Marty stared at the guy, and then his gun. It was apparent to Mindy, as she got to her feet that, that he'd never killed anyone before. "You alright, Battle Guy?" She asked as she retrieved her staff.

"Yeah... I just..." Marty began, a distant look on his face.

"Thank you." Mindy stated with a smile.

"Um... Your welcome." Marty stated as his trance was broken.

"Let's keep going." Dave stated as they started towards the Cell block.

The four ran for another minute. By now the adrenaline was pumping in their vanes. They reached a door that said 'CELL BLOCK C' over it.

The group shared a quick glance, before bursting through the door. It was pure chaos. This is where most of the guards had fallen back too. They were trying to stop the cells from being opened. There was probably seventy cunts in this room, and only about thirty guards. All of the prisoner were screaming to be let out. The guards were all defending the controls, but the cunts were closing in on them.

Mindy scanned the room, she quickly stole a glance at the second floor catwalks. She noticed Chris and his lieutenants standing in front of a cell, in about the center of the room. "You guys go help them!" She heard Dave yell as he ran for the stairs.

"Dave!" Mindy called after him.

Dave stopped and looked back at her, as the three of them began to follow after him. "I'll handle Chris! If they get these cells open, we're all fucked!"

Mindy hesitated for a second before nodding and turning towards the crowd, fighting over the cell block, controls.

Mindy broke into a dead sprint towards the group, she quickly, pulled one of her guns and began firing into the backs of the cunts. She killed four before a group of about fifteen heard the shots and turned to charge at her.

As the group closed in on her, she heard gunshots ring out behind her, as Marty and Marcus quickly, appeared at her sides. When the thugs were about ten feet away. Marcus and Marty dropped to their knees and began taking shots at the thugs, trying their best to not hit Mindy.

Mindy quickly dropped her gun, took her Bo staff with both hands and began twirling into the charging thugs. She had to make sure to keep them off of her, so she kept spinning and twirling about, using every ounce of her agility and flexibility to her advantage, as she was dodging and lashing out at the thugs, she felt a bullet slam into the center of her back, It was just the right amount of force to knock her over.

Mindy landed on her stomach and quickly rolled over, the thug with the gun was about to fire again when, a bullet tore through his arm. She glanced over for just a moment to see Marcus, firing into the crowd.

Some of the thugs turned their attention on Marcus and Marty. As they closed the gap, Marcus pulled out his telescopic baton, there were five thugs coming toward them, two went for Marty the others went for Marcus.

Mindy shot to her feet, out of the fifteen that had attacked them, six were dead, five were after Marty and Marcus, that left four with Mindy.

As this was unfolding, Dave bounded up the spiral staircase that led to the second level. As he reached it he looked down just in time to see Mindy run into the group of thugs. He watched her for only a second as she spun through the crowd, lashing out with such grace, it was almost beautiful. After a second he refocused his attention on Chris.

Chris' and his men were all standing in front of a cell, in about the very center of the second floor. His lieutenants, along with four other guys were, standing with him. He looked like he was talking to someone in the cell, he had two guns in his hands and he was waiving them around a little. As he broke into a sprint towards the group, he couldn't help but wonder where Mother Russia, had gone.

As he was about halfway too them, all of the prison cells suddenly shot open. Dave glanced down just in time to see a that a cunt had broken through the guards and opened the cells.

The criminals let out a unified roar of victory as, the two hundred and sixty, some odd, prisoners in this cell block, were released.

There were eight cells between Dave and his goal, that was sixteen criminals to contend with. As the prisoners exited theirs cells, some of them chanting for The Motherfucker, they began to charge into the fray, attacking the guards. Some made a break for the exit, sadly the ones between Dave and Chris, just so happened to be the fighting kind.

The prisoners turned to see Dave charging towards them. A few of them dived back into their cells but the rest made a move to try and attack Dave.

Dave used his momentum to jab his swords into the first few. He hit with so much force that his blade pierced the first guy, and went straight into the next. Dave quickly pulled his swords from the two men, as he continued his charge down the cat walk.

Dave finished off another prisoner as he glanced down at the others below him. Marcus was surrounded by two cunts and about five prisoners, his rifle was missing. All that he had in his hands was a baton and a knife that Mindy had made him take. He glanced over to see Mindy, running into a group of prisoners who were beating somebody on the ground. As she killed a few of the prisoners Dave saw her reach into the group and pick up Marty. He was missing his glasses, and Dave could tell that he was bleeding pretty good. Mindy handed him one of her guns, as she stood between him and the prisoners.

Dave, couldn't worry about them now, Chris was only a few feet in front of him. He had entered the cell, if Dave could kill his guards, he'd have the little fucker trapped.

Dave launched an even more ferocious attack, as he began slicing his way through the remaining prisoners. As he finally cleared the prisoners and approached Chris' men, he saw Chris exiting the cell.

"Chris!" Dave shouted as he closed the ten or so foot gap.

Chris just turned and looked at him, he had a look on his face. Chris almost looked like he was on drugs or somethings, he had the biggest shit eating grin on his face.

The Tumor, motioned for the four low level cunts to attack. The four men did just that, the first one charged forward and stabbed at Dave with a make shift spear. Dave quickly, side stepped the lunge, and brought his blade across the thugs throat, slicing his jugular. The first guy fell as the second, third, and fourth, all drew guns and started shooting. Luckily they only had handguns so, the shots slammed into Dave's armor and bounced off. Dave was hopped up on so much adrenaline right now, that he was barely aware of the bullets even hitting him.

Dave very elegantly finished off the three henchmen. He drove one of his swords, into the first guys gut, then spun around him, drawing his machete in the process. He the jumped into the air, and drove his remaining sword, into the seconds guys skull. Dave landed on this guy, knocking his corpse over in the process. When he landed on the second guy he pushed him back onto the third guy. Now Dave had the last guy pinned underneath, the second guy and himself. Dave quickly brought up his machete and drove it into the third guys eye.

As Dave pulled his blade from the guys eye, he looked up just in time to see a boot coming toward his face. Dave was knocked back, off of the two corpses, he landed on his back. Dave looked to see who had kicked him, it was Black Death, he noticed Chris laugh as he walked past Black Death and shot Dave in the chest.

Chris had upgraded his pistols to 44. magnums. So this shot, hit with enough force to knock the wind out of Dave. Chris walked over and began stomping on Dave's hand, the one that held the machete. Dave let out a wail of pain as he felt an insane pain shoot through his hand, he was sure Chris would have broken it, if he didn't let go of his weapon, so he did.

After he let go of his weapon, Chris stood over Dave, and smiled down at him.

"I've been waiting a long time to do this." He stated as he reached down and grabbed Dave by the scruff of his shirt, and pulled him up slightly.

Chris then placed his gun to the bottom of Dave's chin. "Time to die... Dave!" He whispered.

Dave's eyes showed no signs of fear, or pain, or anguish, they only held a burning anger. Even in the loud room Dave could hear the hammer fall back... as it did, His life began flashing before his eyes.

His childhood, his early teenage years, his mother dying, getting mugged... a lot. Becoming Kickass, dating Katie. Meeting Hit Girl and Big Daddy. Meeting Red Mist, getting betrayed, getting laid for the first time. Getting tortured and nearly killed, killing Frank D'Amico with a bazooka, that was pretty cool. Joining Justice Forever, Getting dumped by Katie, dating Night Bitch, His father getting killed, becoming The Fallen, telling Mindy how he felt. All of the memories flew by so quickly, and yet when he got to that last one, everything seemed to slow down, and all he could think about was the first time he held Mindy in his arms.

All of this occurred in slow motion, as Dave's memories of Mindy faded, he was left staring up at Chris, who had kneeling over him, his gun still pressed to the bottom of Dave's chin.

"Goodbye, cocksucker!" Chris hissed keeping his wicked grin.

As he pulled the trigger, a bullet tore across Chris' back. Chris let out a wail of pain, as he recoiled back and pulled the trigger...

* * *

Mindy heard the two gunshots, as she turned to make sure no one was shooting at her. Her eyes were drawn up to the second floor as, she witnessed Chris recoiling back in pain, as his gun went off. Her heart skipped a beat as she focused on who he was trying to shoot. Mindy saw a small hail of sparks fly through the air as Dave fell backwards. She was about to let out a scream when a thug delivered a strike to her head.

The world went hazy for a second, as she fell over. Mindy rolled over quickly and drew her remaining handgun and shot the cunt, in the forehead.

She shot to her feet to look up at the catwalk. She saw Chris being dragged back, by his lieutenants. She looked up at the massive figure laying on the catwalk, in disbelief. She couldn't breathe. "He can't be dead!" She kept repeating to herself. As she stared up in horror.

After a moment she saw Dave sit up. The action scared the shit out of her. It was sudden and fluid. He just sat up, and just like the first time she saw The Fallen, take a bullet to the head, Dave just cracked his neck and got up.

* * *

"Time to die!" Dave roared in his, The Fallen voice. As he picked up his machete and charged toward Chris.

Black Death stepped forward to defend Chris, he lashed out as Dave got close, he delivered a kick, square to Dave's chest which knocked him back a few feet. Dave lay on his back for a second before he drew his pistol. As he did this Chris and all of his lieutenants, including Black Death, dived into a cell.

Mindy took her focus off of Dave, she looked over to check on Marty. He was on a knee, taking shots at anyone who wondered close, he was still bleeding pretty good. She looked over and tried to find Marcus. She located him, after a moments, there were four prisoners dead at his feet, but he had lost his knife. He looked like he was having trouble standing. Mindy wasn't close enough to tell if he was injured or just tired. There were six guys around him, they were being cautious about getting close.

As Mindy was inspecting her comrades, four prisoners attacked her, Mindy had lost her bo staff a few moments ago, so she pulled her rope knife, and went to town on their asses.

* * *

As Dave got to his feet, his gun aimed at the cell where Chris and the others were hiding, he passed the cell they were standing in front of. He glanced inside and saw a man laying on the floor, he had been shot at least ten times. Dave had to guess that, that was Ralph D'Amico.

Dave continued forward, he had a mission, and he was going to complete it. Their was no escape for Chris, this time.

* * *

As Mindy finished off another prisoner, she glanced over just in time to see a large prisoner tackle Marcus to the ground. The surrounding prisoners immediately began going to town on him. They were kicking and stomping. All Mindy could do was scream out "No!"

Another prisoner grabbed onto her, when she was distracted, but she quickly escaped his grasp. Spun around, and drove her knife into the prisoners gut. She glanced back at the prisoners still kicking the crap out of Marcus. There was eight guys surrounding her. There was no way she could make it to him.

She looked up at the catwalk, and saw Dave approaching the cell, Chris had hidden in. The catwalk was pretty clear. Dave could make it to Marcus. As the thought occurred to her, a horrible realization hit her, she was about to ask Dave to forget about revenge, she was going to ask him to let Chris go, and save Marcus. She immediately felt guilt welling up inside of her. Every part of her brain told her what Marcus would want. He would want Dave to finish that bastard off. But... Mindy couldn't let that happen, she couldn't let Marcus die.

"Dave!" She called. Dave stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

"SAVE MARCUS!" She shouted as one of the prisoners attacked her. She quickly side stepped him and stabbed him in the gut.

"DAVE! PLEASE!" She shouted, Even as she said the words, she felt the guilt begin to take hold.

* * *

Dave stared down at her, he was almost in a haze. What should he do? A part of him kept saying that Mindy was acting out of love. That Marcus would want him to finish off Chris. As he looked over at the men, beating Marcus. An image flashed into Dave's head.

As the bullet tore through Chris' back, as he recoiled, and the gun withdrew just enough to only graze his facemask, and Dave fell back, he remembered looking down to where the shot came from... It had come from the first floor. Dave remembered, his eyes spotting the gun, and then spotting the figure holding it...

Dave turned and charged back across the catwalk as fast as he could. He ran by the men he had killed earlier, quickly retrieving his swords.

* * *

Mindy saw Dave start to run back across the catwalk, she watched as in one move he retrieved his swords and jumped over the guard rail, Mindy watched the scene play out almost in slow motion, as Dave slowly fell to the earth. He landed with a roll, and as he finished the roll he came to a stand, his gun and machete in one hand and his swords in the other.

Dave began firing into the crowd of men, who were beating Marcus. Four or five went down, as Dave finished unloading his clip. After he fired the last bullet, he dropped the gun and began charging towards the remaining guys. As the four remaining guys turned to look at him, Dave brought his machete back and let it fly. Mindy watched if fly through the air, as it did, Dave quickly took a sword in both hands and extended them out. She watched as the machete hit its target, the blade lodged itself into one the the prisoners necks.

The others swore loudly as their fellow inmate fell, They didn't have time to react as Dave barreled into them, he drove his sword into ones belly, and sliced the nearest one across the chest. As they fell he turned his attention to the last guy. Dave quickly barreled into him, knocking him to the floor. Dave quickly stood over him, he turned his blades around and drove them into the guys gut and chest. He left his swords in the man, as he went to check on Marcus.

* * *

Dave walked over, and found Marcus laying on his side, his arms covering his head. "Are you alright?" Dave asked extending a hand.

Marcus pulled his arms away and looked up at him, Dave could tell he had taken quite a beating, he was profusely bleeding from a few gashes on his head, and he had as number of bloody patched on his body. After a moment he reached out and took Dave's hand.

As Dave pulled Marcus to his feet, Mindy finished off the last of the Prisoners that were attacking her. She quickly grabbed Marty and moved to join, Dave and Marcus. Mindy walked up and hugged Marcus, Dave did a quick inspection of her, she had a lot of small cuts and bruises but nothing major, she did have a large gash on her head, but that wasn't bleeding all the profusely. Dave then went to inspect Marty, he looked like he was having a lot more trouble, probably had a few broken ribs, he had cuts and gashes on his face, and he was missing his glasses.

After inspecting his friends Dave looked around the cell block, most of the prisoners and cunts had left. They could still hear lots of fighting outside.

After a moment Dave saw movement coming from the control room, for the cell block, he saw a few guards stumble out. They looked around bewildered, beaten, and tired. One looked over at them, he stared at them for minute before he smiled, in appreciation.

After a moment the rest of the guards saw them and made their way over.

There were about eight remaining guards. They all came to a stop when they reached, the group of heroes. The guards stared at them, for a few seconds before the one that smiled, earlier spoke up.

"You know... you guys probably saved our lives today." He wasn't kidding, Mindy thought to herself, as she surveyed the dead. All in all, their four man team had probably killed a grand total of sixty people today.

"Just doing our job." Dave replied sadly, as he retrieved his blades.

Mindy looked over at him and smiled, she walked up to him gave him the firmest hug she could.

"Thank you." She whispered to him.

Dave had a far off look in his eye, Mindy noticed there was a vertical cut running up the left side of the mask. It extended from the cheekbone to the eyebrow, it went almost directly over Dave's eye.

After a second Dave looked at her. "You don't have to thank me, I was just repaying a debt."

As he finished speaking Dave walked over to Marcus.

"You saved my life." Marcus stated after a moment of silence.

"...and you saved mine." Dave replied.

"Marcus let out a pained laugh, as he spoke. "Don't take it personally or anything, Mindy wouldn't be able to go on if you weren't around. I was protecting her. I'm still up in the air on whether or not I like you or not."

Dave laughed under his mask and extended his hand.

Marcus laughed again and shook his hand.

After a moment the cell block doors burst open, an army platoon marched in. The young heroes remembered what Harper told them, so they raised their hand in surrender.

Three soldier, approached them and ordered them to drop to their knees, the four complied and they were promptly zip cuffed, and hauled outside.

It felt like forever just getting back to the front door, Mindy's eyes fell upon a clock as they exited the building. It was 6:35, the whole thing, occurred in only 30 minutes.

As they walked outside, they could see a few lines of convicts and cunts on their knees, Chris and his Lieutenants, weren't among them. The four were quickly loaded into the back of a Humvee. After a moment it began driving.

"So... I assume from the prompt and curt treatment your giving us, that you know who we are?" Mindy stated with a smile.

The soldier that was driving, had on full gear, he had his helmet and sunglasses on. The guy didn't respond.

They drove into the city, it was a few minutes before Mindy and Marcus realized that they weren't heading for the police station, which is were the military had set up headquarters.

After a moment the soldier pulled into an alley, and got out.

"Oh shit." Dave stated wearily.

The soldier took off his helmet and glasses before opening the door.

"You guy were pretty damn amazing in there." He spoke in a familiar tone.

They all looked at him. Immediately recognizing the black hair and goatee.

"Harper!" Dave stated, surprised.

"Yep." Harper replied with a laugh as he helped them out of the car.

"Damn you work fast." Mindy complimented as Harper took the zip cuffs off of them.

"Yeah well, we originally planned to bail you outta jail, but its a media frenzy down there so, we just decided to pull the old switcheroo." Harper responded as he motioned for them to follow him.

They walked a little, down the alley and rounded the corner to another alley, there, Dave's car was waiting for them.

"You are just scary, good." Marty stated approvingly.

"How are your wounds?" Harper asked as he handed Dave the keys.

"Marcus, Marty, and Mindy, all need to get their heads checked out." Dave stated.

"Hey... I'm fine." Mindy explained.

"No Mindy. You've got a gash on your head, you need to get it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry." Dave stated, in a serious tone, after a few seconds, Mindy relented.

"Fine." She stated with a huff.

"Here. I'll send someone to the your headquarters, to check out your wounds." Harper stated, but continued as Mindy was about to protest.

"Don't worry. He'll be one of our guys. He'll come in, check out your heads and leave." Harper stated as they began to get into the car.

Dave was the only one who didn't, he just stood, looking at Harper.

"What?" Harper stated.

"What happened to Chris?" Dave asked with a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion, in his voice.

"He got away. Mother Russia plowed a god damn armored garbage truck, into the building and picked up Chris and a few of his lieutenants. We perused them for a few minutes but they eventually lost them, when the dump truck pulled into and alley, and Chris and his men, crawled into the sewers." Harper explained with a little regret.

Dave let out a sigh before turning to get in the car.

"I'll see you guys soon." Harper stated as he turned to walk back down the alley.

The group drove back to the headquarters in silence. They arrived and made their way up to the headquarters, when they opened the door they found Marty's parents, watching the news. The two of them were ecstatic to see Marty alive. The two rushed over and hugged and kissed him.

Mindy and Dave helped Marcus into a chair, and Mindy helped him take off the balaclava. He was in worse shape then Dave had thought. Both his eyes were swollen, he had a broken nose, and a lot of deep gashes on his face. He looked terrible.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, Dave went to answer it. It was the man, Harper had sent. The guy was dressed real casually. He had a bag of medical supplies with him. He spent the next hour or so doing inspections of the four of them.

Marcus was lucky he didn't need any staples in his head, but the doctor did have to fix his broken nose.

Marty ended up only needing stitches for a cut he had on his cheek. And luckily he didn't have any broken ribs. Mindy was also lucky she didn't need any staples either, it was only now that she discovered a cut on her upper shoulder. It was really thin, but pretty deep. She spent the better part of an hour trying to recall when the hell that happened. She ended up needing stitches for that. Dave was relatively unhurt, he had a few dislocated bones in his hands, from when Chris stepped on them, and he also had a perforated ear drum.

The doctor finished fixing them, and quickly said his goodbyes. Like Harper had said, in and out. Almost all of them had concussions so they needed to stay awake for a little while. So they decided to all take showers. The headquarters only had two. So Mindy and Dave let, Marcus and Marty go take showers first.

As everyone left, Dave found himself sitting on the ground holding his mask.

Mindy sat next to him, being careful not to strain her stitches.

"Dave... I wanted to say thanks... I know how hard it must have been, to let Chris go. But you did manage to save Marcus' life." Mindy stated in a grateful tone.

"Marcus... saved my life, Mindy. He's the one who shot Chris. If he didn't make that shot when he did, Chris would have blown my brains out." Dave stated as stroked the cut on his mask.

Mindy smiled and sighed before stating in a girly schoolgirl voice. "I think he's, totally, starting to like you."

Dave just smiled and playfully pushed against her.

Mindy just smiled and pushed back.

The two sat in silence for a little while before Dave leaned over and kissed Mindy. Mindy smiled as he pulled away from the kiss. "What was that for?"

"For being so god damn perfect." He replied with a sigh.

Mindy just smiled and stared around at the room, the T.V. Was still on, and the news was playing. The headline caught her attention though. In big bold red letters it said 'THEY'RE BACK!'

Mindy mentioned it to Dave and the two got up and walked closer to the TV.

Dave turned up the volume and the two listened in.

"For those of you just tuning in, There was an attack tonight on New York State Prison. Hundreds of armed, costumed, criminals, attacked the facility en mass. They managed to free, quite a few of the prison inmates, but they ran into more than a few problems, the first being the brave men of the prison guard detail, who fought bravely during the onslaught. The second was the brave men and woman of the U.S. National guard, who were quickly able to arrive on scene and capture or kill, most of the prison inmates, and the assaulting criminals. There was also a third thing that hindered this attack, it came in the form of four costumed heroes assisting the prison guards in the defense of the prison. Ten minutes after the attack, footage from cell block C where the heroes were. Was uploaded to the internet. The contents of this video are to graphic to show, but I can say that it is a heroic spectacle, detailing the lengths that some people will go to, to defend our great city..."

Dave and Mindy both had huge grins on theirs faces. They turned and looked at one another and smiled, after a few minutes Mindy got a text on her phone. It was from and unknown number.

It said "Merry Christmas, -H"

Mindy showed it to Dave. When he saw it, he let out a laugh. The two young lovers both started to laugh, as the news report continued. Detailing the heroic actions of four heroes.

_Okay so I'm sorry that I didn't get this chapter up yesterday but... it wasn't done yesterday. I made it extra long because I love you guys, I hope you enjoy and look forward to another chapter, whenever my carpel tunnel goes away..._

_ P.S. Review help me heal faster._


	15. Chapter 15

_Okay so, Moving on to chapter 15, I hope you guy look forward to it, I always enjoy writing and I want to get as many chapters out as I can before my job starts. So look forward to frequent updates for a little while at least. Please let me know what you think, I really appreciate the reviews, anyway, let's begin. _

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 15

Mindy felt someone shaking her, as she slowly opened her eyes. She could barely make out the figure of Dave, looming over her.

"Come on sleepy head." Dave chided, as he shook her again.

"Go away." Mindy grumbled as she tried to roll over. As she did, she felt her skin peel away from the training mat.

"How did that feel?" Dave asked with a grin.

"Ouch." Mindy just stated plainly, trying her hardest to fall back asleep.

"Come on. It's time to wake up." Dave chided again, as he started to rub her back.

"Go away. I was having a good dream." Mindy whined into the mat.

"Oh yeah? What, about?" Dave asked with a grin, he was pretty sure it had something to do with sex.

"We had just killed Chris..."

"Or it could be about that." Dave laughed to himself.

"...We had just thrown his body into an incinerator, and you were about to take me." Mindy finished with a sigh, as she rolled onto her back.

"And there it is." Dave thought to himself, as he leaned down to scoop her up into his arms. Dave picked her up and started carrying her towards the bathroom.

"Where are we going?" Mindy whined, tiredly, as she nuzzled into Dave's shoulder.

"To the shower. We both fell asleep before, Marty or Marcus finished with theirs, last night. We've still got dried blood on us. Not to mention, we probably wreak of swamp-ass, sweaty balls, and feet." Dave laughed, as he got her to the bathroom.

"Hey... that's just the smell of a job well done." Mindy quipped, as she rubbed her eyes.

Dave just sighed in response as he started the water running, in the shower.

"If that water is cold, I swear to whatever you hold dear, that I will skin you alive." Mindy hissed, as she stood and began stripping off her clothes

"Someones pissy." Dave stated with a grin, as he watched her undress.

As she removed her shirt, his eyes were drawn to the bruises all over her body. Ranging from the large gash on her head, to the numerous black and purple bruises, each wound, was a testament to how tough she really was.

"What?" Mindy asked with a seductive grin as she noticed his eyes on her.

"Just admiring the battle scars." Dave stated with a grin.

"Well are you just going to admire, or are you going to help me wash up?" Mindy asked keeping her grin.

"Oh no. I'm smart enough to know what you're planing." Dave stated with a knowing smile.

"Oh, come on. Don't be a fun hater." Mindy whined as she, seductively, started to remove her bra and panties.

Dave found himself admiring her beauty once again. Unlike last time, she stood before him with a lot more confidence. She no longer questioned what Dave thought of her, she knew what he thought. So this time around, as she stood naked before him, she did so with a great deal of confidence, she was even slightly flaunting her figure.

"So... do you want your Christmas present, now?" Mindy asked, her eyes locked on him.

After a moment, Dave locked eyes with her, stepped forward, and pulled her into an embrace. He began stroking her hair as he leaned in close, and whispered into her ear. "Nope."

Dave started to laugh as he turned to leave.

Mindy just looked after him, mouth agape. "Asshole!"

"Hey... The day's just starting. Maybe I'll be more in the mood later." Dave giggled as he left.

Dave closed the door behind him, he had the biggest shit eating grin on his face."Poor girl." he thought. as he went to the other shower, and took a quick one.

Dave found himself in the dojo, inspecting weapons when, twenty minutes later, Mindy came out of the shower, a pissed look on her face.

She walked right over to Dave and pushed him against the wall.

"Why the hell, do you have to be such a dick?" She hissed, more than a little pissed about being rejected.

"So, I'm guessing, that means you took a cold shower." Dave quipped with a smile.

"Come on Dave. I think I've waited long enough." Mindy whined as she nuzzled up against him.

"I know." Dave replied as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You just love, teasing me, don't you." Mindy whispered as she pulled back to kiss him.

"Can't always get what you want, when you want it." Dave replied with a smile.

Mindy let out sigh, as she rested her head against his chest. "So... what are we you really waiting for?"

"What do you mean?" Dave asked as he rested his chin on her head.

"I mean us. I thought you said that, if we survived, you wouldn't be able to keep your hands off of me. So what are you waiting for." Mindy asked, disappointment evident in her voice.

"You just don't know how to wait, do you?" Dave stated with a sigh.

"I can wait. I just need a reason too." Mindy replied, as she pulled back to look up at him.

"Well... in order to answer that question, I need to ask one of my own..." Dave replied as he looked down at her with a serious face.

"And what would that be?" Mindy replied, slightly worried by his change in tone.

"...Mature answer, or real one?" Dave stated with a dorky smile.

Mindy stared at him for a second before she realized that he was playing with her. She glared at him, as annoyance began to descend upon her. "Both."

"Both?" Dave replied, with a curious look.

"Yeah, both. Give me both reasons as to why I shouldn't tear off your clothes and force myself on you." She stated boldly.

"Okay well... the mature answer is that we still have a lot of stuff we need to do, and that right now, sex would just get in that way of that." Dave replied in a very adult tone.

"...and the real answer?" Mindy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'd probably die of dehydration, before I could tear myself away from you." Dave replied with a goofy grin.

Mindy stared at him for a second. As she searched for a good response to his answers. In the end, she settled with just saying "Good, enough for me."

After a few moments of staring at one another, the two lovers heard someone clear their throat off to the side. They both looked over, to find Harper standing at the door way, a serious look on his face.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just an observer." Harper stated with a smirk.

"Gah! Where the fuck did you come from?" Mindy asked as she finally processed who it was.

"The front door." Harper replied plainly.

"Were you listening in on that?" Dave asked a little embarrassed.

"Ah. The pillow talk of two teenage sweethearts... it's enough to make a grown man, gag." Harper quipped with a grin.

"Asshole." Mindy stated, in a unamused tone.

Harper just smiled in reply. He casually stepped into the center of the room and pulled a small box out of his pocket.

"Merry Christmas." Harper stated as he threw the box to Mindy.

"Thanks?" Mindy stated in a confused tone as she opened the box, she found a small piece of paper inside with an address and a six digit combination written on it.

"What's this?" She asked as she handed the paper to Dave.

"That, my friend, is the location and access code, to your new headquarters." Harper stated with a smile.

"What?" Dave and Mindy, asked at the same time.

"If you're going to be running a team of heroes, you're going to need a place to call your own. And this headquarters, of yours, is at it's limit." Harper explained with a smile.

"Wait... you got us a new place?" Mindy asked in disbelief.

"Yep. You're going to need a place, to outfit, supply, train, rest, workout, store intelligence, stuff like that. This building isn't equipped to support a group of heroes attempting to retake a city." Harper explained, keeping his grin.

"Is this about the job you were talking about?" Dave asked.

"Yep. But before I continue you might want to go get the rest of your squad, I have a lot of news for you." Harper stated, as he pulled up a chair.

Mindy went to go and get Marcus and Marty who were both in their rooms. Marty was hobbling pretty noticeably, he had definitely pulled something in his leg. While Marcus didn't look any better than he did last night, his face was swollen and he had a lot of bandages on his head and arms, from the beating he took.

They all returned, and gathered around Harper. He just looked at each one before starting.

"Okay... so... the first thing I wanna say, is that, you guys, did an amazing job. More than amazing, what you did was fantastic, the whole city, is buzzing, they're all talking about what the four of you did." Harper started.

"What's the military saying." Marcus asked wearily.

"The military is buzzing, half of them are trying to figure out how the hell you guys, knew about the prison attack, and the other half is busy trying to figure out, how the hell you escaped custody." Harper replied with a grin.

"What about the police?" Mindy asked.

"The police are ecstatic. It wasn't hard for them to figure out who the adult in the swat-looking armor was. Most of them are calling you a hero, Marcus." Harper continued.

Marcus only rolled his eyes in reply, as Mindy adopted a huge grin and started to nudge him.

"What about the people?" Dave asked with a smile.

"I haven't seen the people this happy in a long time. You guys saved eight men, from almost certain death. And the people of this city couldn't be more grateful." Harper finished, admiration evident in his voice.

The group shared a smile, all except for Dave who adopted a serious face. "What about Chris?"

"Chris brought his whole army, four hundred guys. Two hundred and fifty of them were either captured of killed. They did manage to get two of the cell blocks open, that released about five hundred prisoners. Most of them were either captured or killed, about seventy managed to escape. We estimate that at least half will join Chris, the others will go to ground. Chris also managed to kill his uncle, that leaves the D'Amico family, in Chris' hands. All things considered, Chris came out with only minor losses. That's the good news when it comes to Chris." Harper stated with a serious expression.

"Shit... then what's the bad news?" Mindy asked, in a slightly agitated tone.

"Chris may have lost over half of his men, and he may only be getting about one hundred and fifty new recruits, but those recruits are all highly trained killers, not just street thugs. Chris' gang, has just become, much deadlier." Harper finished with a sigh.

"What about the other criminal organizations? What's their take on all of this?" Marty asked after a moment.

"Chris has access to his family's information network now, which means so does, his bosses. Our criminal friends have everything they need to start their war. Sometime after new years, they'll begin sending men, and resources into the city, to help Chris take it over." Harper explained.

"God... I've got wonder what Chris is getting out of this? Why is he letting these guys, control him?" Dave asked, more to himself than anyone else.

"Chris is an idiot. A smart, crazy as all hell, fucking idiot. I guarantee you, that Chris has no idea he's being manipulated. He probably thinks he's the one running the show, and that the other criminal organizations, are just along for the ride. And you know what? That's exactly what they want him to think. These guys are smart, they know how to control a crazy fuck, like Chris. Everything that's been happening, has been their doing. They're the ones who think this stuff up, then all they have to do is trick Chris into doing what they want him to." Harper answered wearily.

"God... he's such a fucking idiot." Mindy stated, shaking her head.

"So... what's this I hear about a superhero job?" Marty asked, after a moment of silence.

As he asked that, the group focused on Harper, who had begun grinning.

"It's going to be called, 'The Right to Stand and Fight' act. A few days after the holidays, the senate is going to hold an emergency meeting, where Senator, Glenn Hildes, is going to propose the bill. This bill is going to allow for the formation of civil defense forces, in cities all over the country." Harper began explaining.

"Civil defense forces?" Mindy asked raising an eyebrow.

Harper stopped for a second, as he thought to himself, about how best to explain this.

"Do you guys, know why this country can never be conquered by an invading force?" Harper asked.

After a moment they all shook their heads 'no'.

"It's because, at the moment of an invasion, this country will have access to an army, tens of millions, strong." Harper stated.

The others leaned in curiously, waiting for him to continue.

"With the way our county is set up, if we were to be invaded, men and woman, all across the nation would take up arms in defense of their homes. This is true in most first world countries. Because of the media, and the wide spread patriotic beliefs held in most first world countries, it's become damn near impossible for outside forces to invade these countries. Haven't you noticed, that in your lives, their has never been a first world country that has fallen into invading hands. Do you know why that is?" Harper finished with a question.

"It's because most first world nations hold incredibly strong patriotic beliefs, and that includes the belief in defending ones country. Plus most first world nations are completely unified, they aren't controlled by different factions." Marcus explained.

"Yep. If this country were to be invaded, millions would rise up to fight. That's just how patriotism and unity, work." Harper stated with a grin.

"So what does any of this have to do with that bill?" Dave asked with a shrug.

"Well... think about it. Theirs a reason they call it the 'war' on crime. This bill is going to open the door for people to form, anti-criminal, militia groups. To help stem the tide and end this conflict. Regardless of what the reason is behind it, crime is crime, and if you look at it as a whole, then thousands of people end up casualties of this war each year, in the US alone." Harper explained.

"So basically, what you're saying is this bill is going to let people form groups to fight crime?" Mindy asked.

"Yep." Harper replied.

"How would this work?" Marcus asked, curiously.

"What we hope, is that groups of civilians would gather together, arm themselves, and begin dealing with criminal elements." Harper explained in the simplest way possible.

"How do you plan on handling, the anarchy, that's sure to arise." Marcus asked, anxious to hear his answer.

"That's simple, the units that are formed will all have to be official. Each group that forms will have to register at a police station or some other government building. The group will be required to report on it's activities, and provide a list of members. The group must either police itself, or contact the police in case someone goes rogue. There can only be one group per city. The group will be forced to fund itself. They will be allowed to take a number of items from the criminals they deal with, while other items will be turned over to the police. For example, if a group takes out a crack house, they are allowed to take, guns, ammo, and dirty money. They won't be allowed to steal furniture, jewelry, or other things that were legally purchased. They will also be asked to either destroy or turnover any drugs, found at the scene. Believe me... a lot of thought, has gone into this. The groups will not be vigilantes, they'll just be citizens who have decided to risk their lives in order to protect their fellow man. " Harper explained, Mindy was liking the sound of this.

"These groups will be allowed to utilize a sufficient degree of force, ranging from defending themselves, to attacking criminal assets. They will not be allowed to murder as they see fit. They are allowed to kill known criminals who aren't in police custody or on parole, and they are most certainly allowed to defend themselves. Basically, if a punk arms himself for a fight, we're giving you the green light to pop a cap in his ass. These groups will be held responsible for their actions. If they attack a building and an innocent is harmed in the cross fire, and its your fault, you're the one that's going to pay for it. The amount of collateral damage that will be accepted will be at a minimum. These groups will not be anarchists, their defenders of the peace." Harper finished explaining.

"Cool." Mindy thought to herself, everything he just described was pretty much the basic operating procedure that her and Dave, utilized.

"Every member of each group will be required to swear an oath, to protect, the people of their city. If they brake that oath it will be considered an act of treason by the US government. The person who breaks their oath will be reprimanded accordingly." Harper, stated with clarity.

"It looks like you guys put a lot of thought into this whole, hero, thing." Marcus stated.

"We want to assure that this doesn't backfire. If it works, it will ensure safety, and security, for countless innocent people." Harper stated with a little pride.

"What about police." Marty asked with a little curiosity.

"The police will maintain their current positions. The cops will still be the paid, protectors of each city. These militia groups will operate at there own, discretion, and at their own risk. The police will not get involved in the personal vendettas of any group, and they will be responsible for reprimanding the militia should their actions violate their oaths." Harper explained.

The group was silent for a few moments, they were all deep in thought. Each one trying to think of a question, to ask. In the end, it was Dave who asked the most important question.

"What do you want us to do?" He asked.

The others focused intently on Harper, waiting to hear his answer.

"What we want from you, is to form the harbinger unit. The one that will inspire the formation of other units. What we want is for you to train, and lead a team, devoted to the eradication of the criminal elements within this city. We also want you to act as our tactical assault force, as we begin dealing with the invading foreign criminal organizations." Harper stated with a serious look.

"So does that mean you're going to be sending us a team of bad-asses to work with? Guys and girls capable of doing insane shit?" Marty asked with a hopeful grin.

"Nope... this ordeal is going to be carried on the backs of civilians. If any of our agents want to quit their day jobs and join you, that's their prerogative. You will find members for your team, you will train them, and you will lead them. This is a team of heroes not a group of undercover agents. I will act as your liaison to the government, I will handle intelligence gathering and assisting in organization. It will be your job to get out there and increase your groups power." Harper explained.

"So... governments keeping it's hands clean." Mindy stated with a grin.

"Exactly. You're a group of civilians, not government agents. It will mean more if you're the ones gathering your team, training it, and leading it into battle. Your unit will be the first, some congressmen, aren't going to like this. Its going to be your job to prove how effective you can be. We'll provide you with supplies, weapons, vehicles and gear. You'll do the rest." Harper finished with a grin.

"Just like in 'Charlie Wilson's War'." Marty stated excitedly.

"Yep." Harper stated happily.

The group sat for a few moments before Mindy finally spoke up. "So... who wants to go see our new home?"

Marty, Dave, and Marcus all raised their hands.

"Well... go get your parents, Marty, and let's go." Mindy stated with a grin.

Marty did just that, they all wandered outside and piled into Dave's car. Harper got into his own, and led them to their new headquarters. It took them about twenty-five minutes to arrive at the new headquarters.

They arrived at a large warehouse, and Mindy's face lit up. They parked, and everyone got out.

"Our new headquarters, is in a fucking warehouse?" Mindy beamed.

"Yep." Harper stated as they all got out and began walking towards the door, which resided at the very end of the building.

"We began setting this place up three weeks ago, it's thirty thousand, square feet. We set it up with a storage area, meeting room, armory, sixteen bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a six car garage, a kitchen, a dojo, and a shooting range." Harper explained, as he showed them the security pad next to the door. He let Mindy enter the security code, he gave her earlier.

As the group walked in, they were greeted to a long hallway. "You set up a bunch of rooms in here?" Dave stated as he looked around.

"Yep. We set this place up with all enclosed rooms. The whole headquarters is basically a building within, this warehouse." Harper explained as they walked down the hallway. As they reached the end, they found a single door with another keypad.

"This key-code is the same as the last one. You can change both of them later. This hallway serves as a first line of defense, there are camera's overlooking it and a little buzzer goes off, telling you to check the cameras, whenever someone enter the first door." Harper explained, as Mindy entered the key code again.

The door opened and they walked into an open room. It was set up like a living room, it had a couch, a TV and off to the side was a kitchen, there was also a few hallways, branching off to other rooms. The ceilings were all flat, and the walls were bare.

Harper gave them the tour. The whole place was huge. Although the rooms were small, they were quite private, so no one complained. The place had electricity and running water, all of the bathrooms had shower stalls, so that was nice. The dojo had training mats and equipment, while the armory was fully stocked, it had guns of all sorts, as wells as dozens of different melee weapons.

Mindy loved this place, it was so beyond cool, the place had a single room that acted like a control room. It had lots of monitors that showed video of all the cameras. The cameras were aimed down all the hallways as well as on the outside of the building.

"This place is awesome!" Mindy beamed.

"It's all yours. Use it as you see fit." Harper stated with a smile as they finished the tour.

"This is so cool." Marty giggled to himself.

"We'll set you all up with new names and Id's, it wont do much but it should allow you to at least use your bank accounts without drawing to much suspicion. Try not to forget, that Chris, still has a bounty out on you, so watch yourselves. As a final bit information. This building is bought and paid for by some guy named, Clark Henders..." Harper began explaining.

"Who's that?" Mindy asked curiously.

"No one. Just someone we made up. Just know that this building is fully paid for, and completely off the grid. It runs off it's own generator, there are no windows to sneak into, and every entrance is locked. You can feel safe here." Harper finished.

After a few moments the group found itself in the living room again. Harper stood in the center of the room analyzing all of them, after a moment he spoke.

"We'll begin sending you information, when it becomes available to us, other than that, you're free to operate as you see fit... On that note, we'll need you guys to wear these." Harper stated as he opened a small box, and pulled out a handful of small black objects with little buttons on them. Each one had a long wire coming out of it and at the end of the wire was a little black square.

"Are those cameras?" Dave asked, as he leaned in, to look closely at one.

"Yep. Run the wire up through your costumes and sew the camera into your costumes. These cameras will serve as our way of verifying any action you carry out. This way, instead of you having to come home and right a report, on your actions. All you have to do is upload the camera film into one of the computers. We will remotely access the files and review them. This will make it easier for us to reassure the non-believers of the good, you do." Harper quickly showed them how to operate the little cameras, they had an eight hour battery life. The little black box, served as a battery and a hard drive. It had only two buttons, they were ON/OFF. After he was finished showing them the cameras, Harper turned to leave.

"This is your place now. Go out and do what you do best, I will keep in contact and pass on information to about our foreign friends. I wish you the best of luck. I'll be seeing you around." Harper stated as he began to leave.

"Thank you, For all your help." Mindy stated as Harper left. Just as he was about to reach the door, he turned to look back.

"Don't thank me. You've got a lot of hard work ahead of you." He replied back with a determined look on his face.

"... still thanks." Mindy rebutted, sharing Harper's determined smile.

"Enjoy your Christmas." Harper stated with a small smile.

The group watched as he left, it was a few moments before anyone said anything.

"This place is freaking huge." Marty stated with a smile.

"Damn right." Mindy stated.

After a moment, Marcus smiled, "Alright, go pick you rooms." Dave, Marty, and Mindy all smiled and promptly vanished.

Everyone quickly found and claimed a room, Marty's parents got one, Marty got one, Marcus got one, and Dave and Mindy ended up sharing a room. Eventually everyone found their way back to the living room, it was their that they decided to wait until tomorrow, to begin moving into the warehouse.

* * *

-Later-

After a little while Dave and Mindy decided to go out and explore the neighborhood. Both of them ended up driving back to Mindy's headquarters, to grab some sweatshirts. Once they had some hooded clothes to hide their faces, they hit the town.

The two spent a few hours walking around the neighborhood, it was a relatively quiet part of town, a few apartments, and stores, mostly industrial buildings. It wasn't long before they found themselves, back at the Warehouse.

As they entered the second door, Mindy grabbed Dave, and hauled him off to their room.

"What's your problem?" Dave asked playfully as she pushed him into their room.

"Are you more in the mood now?" Mindy asked as she closed the door behind them.

"Oh. Well, I guess, I might be more, willing." Dave stated with a grin.

"I don't know why in the hell you made me wait, all damn day. But if you're ready, so am I." Mindy stated, hopefully.

"Maybe, I just want this to be special." Dave stated with a little shrug.

"Come on Dave. Don't be a bitch. I don't need you to set up some sort of special night for me. I'm not some stuck up bitch, like Katie. I don't care about set up, I just want you." Mindy stated as she pushed him against the wall.

"I want you too..." Dave started, but stopped, he wanted to have sex with her, he just didn't want it to be something that just happened. He wanted it to be a moment she would remember for the rest of her life.

"I get it. You want to be romantic. But for fucks sake, I've spent the last few weeks thinking about this. Just forget everything else and take me." Mindy whispered as she pulled him into a kiss.

Dave kissed her back, as he began to relent.

"Are you ready to get your Christmas present?" Mindy whispered as he pulled back.

"Fuck it!" Dave stated after a moment of deliberation. A voice in his head immediately called him a bitch.

As he was kissing her a thought tore through his head. "Shit!" Dave stated as he pulled back.

"What?" Mindy asked with a look of surprise.

"I don't... have any condoms..." Dave stated, more than a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry. I'm on the pill." Mindy stated with a smile.

Dave stared at her for a second before a look of confusion took up residence on his face.

"I started taking it, after we started... doing stuff." Mindy whispered, to him as she pulled him into another kiss.

"You've been planning for this?" Dave asked, as he grinned sheepishly.

"Since the day you told me, about sex." Mindy replied with a sigh.

"Wow." Dave stated, as he kissed her again.

"Hey. I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm a horny young girl, who's spent the last few weeks, day-dreaming about her boyfriend, fucking her senseless." Mindy stated with confidence.

"Okay... I'm sold." Dave stated with a grin, as he pulled her into a deep kiss.

"Good." Mindy whispered as she pulled away, and began pulling off her clothes.

Dave wasted no time, stripping off his clothes. He made sure to quickly lock the door, before turning to pull Mindy into another kiss.

Mindy felt a bolt of pleasure shoot up her spine as their naked bodies were pressed against each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tip-toes as she pulled him deeper into the kiss. Dave rested his hands on her naked hips, as he continued to kiss her.

After a few more moments of passionate kissing, Dave lifted her up and carried her over to the bed. Mindy let out a laugh as he dropped her onto the bed. He stared down at her for a moment, once again admiring her beauty, Mindy stared back with a seductive smile. After a moment he climbed into bed next to her.

Dave lay on his side, as he leaned in to kiss Mindy once again. As they were kissing, he let one of his hands travel down to her breasts. Mindy, moaned lightly into the kiss, as he began to gently tease her nipples.

After a moment Dave slid his hand down between her legs. Mindy let out another moan as he began messaging her clit. Dave continued to kiss her as he inserted a finger into her moist center. A few more moments of stimulation went by, before Dave removed his hand and pulled her on top of him.

"Okay... I'm just gonna let you take the lead, just remember to start off slow, you don't have your hymen anymore, but that doesn't mean it still won't be a little painful." Dave stated as Mindy straddled his waist.

"Come on Dave. Unless your dicks gonna turn into an exacto knife, I'm pretty sure I can handle a 'little' pain." Mindy boasted staring down at him, an incredible amount of desire, evident in her eyes.

"Alright, I was just suggesting you start off slow, but if you want to slam down on my rod, that's your prerogative. Just don't bitch to me if it hurts." Dave stated rolling his eyes, at her tough girl, attitude. If they had done this a week ago or, hell, even the other night, Dave was sure she would not have been this confident.

"You know what to do right?" Dave asked with a grin, as she reached down to grab his erect member, and guide it to her opening.

"Don't make me stab you in the eye with your own dick." Mindy stated as his head, found her opening.

Mindy let out a soft moan as she began to slide her self onto him.

Dave shifted slightly, she was just as tight as he expected her to be. He was about halfway inside of her when he saw Mindy wince, slightly. "Must be having just as much trouble as me." Dave thought to himself as he rested his hands on her hips.

After a moment she began pressing herself further and further down, until finally, he was all the way inside of her. Mindy rested her hands on his abs as she leaned forward slightly.

They sat there like this, staring at each other, Dave couldn't help but be enthralled by Mindy's beauty. Her tone fit body, her cute breasts, and firm ass, and yet once again, Dave found his eyes locked on hers. That was one of the things he loved so much about her, he could stare at any naked girl's body for hours, and remained turned on, but when it came to Mindy, he found himself always getting lost in her eyes.

A few seconds passed before Mindy began gently rocking back and forth. Her movements broke Dave's trance, as he began to slowly rock his hips in rhythm with hers.

After a few more moments, Mindy could feel the pleasure begin to overtake the pain, she began moving faster as bolts of pleasure began shooting up her spine.

Dave let out a moan as he picked up his speed. "God" he thought to himself, fucking her, felt so much better than it did, Katie or Night Bitch. Mindy began to move faster, as the pain fully subsided.

"Oh god." Mindy sighed as she bit her lower lip, to stifle a moan.

A second or two passed, before Dave finally sat up and pulled Mindy into a kiss, neithter one of them decreasing there speed. Dave and Mindy both wrapped an arm around each others necks, as they're tongues intertwined. Mindy felt Dave's hand begin teasing her nipples, she had to stifle another moan, because of the added stimulation.

Mindy's breath began to quicken as the combination of sex, being intertwined with her lover, and Dave's gentle teasing, was causing her to quickly reach her climax.

"Dave..." Mindy whispered out between breaths.

"I know, I'm close too." He whispered.

Dave pulled Mindy deep into another kiss, as he felt her body begin to spasm, she was right on the edge and so was he. After a single long second both young lovers orgasmed at the same time, both of them moaned deeply into the kiss. As waves of pleasure cascaded over them, Mindy felt Dave's warm seed, fill her insides and quickly mix with her own juices. They were lucky that they had picked a room that was far away from the others, otherwise they would have definitely have heard the two lover's, moans.

Mindy felt her body turn to jelly, as she pulled away from the kiss, Dave was the only thing that kept her upright, as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Dave began slowly kissing her neck, as he felt himself soften inside of her, as his erection receded, he felt they're combined love juices begin to leak out of her pussy.

"That was amazing." Mindy sighed into his shoulder.

"Yeah, it was pretty great." Dave stated with a smile.

"What do you mean, 'pretty great'?" Mindy asked pulling back to look at him.

"Nothin', I didn't mean anything by it." Dave stated feigning innocence.

"Are you saying that it wasn't that good?" Mindy asked a trying not to hurt.

"Well, if we're going off of a physical level, it was pretty good." Dave stated, trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Pretty good? Now your just being insulting, you ass." Mindy growled.

"Hey. What did I tell you when you first asked about sex?" Dave asked as he felt a twinge shoot through his cock.

Mindy just stared at him for a second, trying to remember.

"I told you that if you're with someone you love, then sex can feel like the most amazing thing in the world." Dave stated as he rested her back onto the bed.

"So, physically, I have to say that was probably in the top three..." Dave giggled as he kissed her, "Emotionally however, I've never felt like this before. My heart literally feels like a group of butterflies is flying around it."

After a moment Mindy finally realized that he was teasing her, she would have hit him, if it wasn't for his swelling cock returning to attention, inside of her.

Dave slowly started sliding his now erect dick, in and out of her, with both of their juices acting a lubricant, it wasn't hard at all to get a steady pace going. After a moment Dave lifted Mindy's rear off the bed as he thrust deeper inside of her.

Mindy started to moan out loud as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Dave started to thrust faster, the way she arched her back, into his thrusts, was so amazingly, erotic. The way her body flexed and arched, it was nearly mesmerizing.

A moment went by before Dave picked her up, and pulled her up, onto his lap. Dave was on his knees while Mindy had her legs wrapped around him, Dave was really showing off his strength now, as he held her up and continued to rock his hips against hers. Mindy wrapped her arm around his neck for support while her other hand found it's way to her breasts, she quickly began teasing her nipples. it wasn't long before she began feeling the familiar sensation building up.

The act of looking into his lovers eyes while he fucked her, made the experience that much more intense. Every ounce of emotion and pleasure, evident in her eyes. It was about now Dave was starting to wonder if he was developing a fetish or something like that.

Dave began kissing her neck as he felt his orgasm begin to approach. From the way Mindy was moaning he guessed that she was getting close as well. As their orgasms approached Dave began rocking his hips faster, he had to move quickly to silence a loud moan that escaped Mindy's lips. He quickly pressed his lips to hers as they both slipped over their threshold.

As she felt their juices rush to meet one another, Mindy's eyes rolled into the back of her head, as the most powerful orgasm she'd experienced to date, cascaded over her. After a few moments she felt her arms become jelly, and she fell back onto the bed, as she did, she felt Dave slip out of her. A second went by before he lay next to her, breathing heavily.

After a few moments he pulled her into a kiss. Mindy felt something pass between them as their lips met, it was like the first time she had ever kissed him, she could almost feel the love he had for her, at that moment. As he pulled away from the kiss he looked deep into her eyes.

"You know I love you, right?" He asked with a dorky grin.

"Partners 'till the end." Mindy replied with a warm smile.

After a moment Mindy adopted a faraway look.

"What are you thinking about?" Dave asked as he rolled onto his side.

"Every night..." Mindy started to say as she rolled onto her side to look at him.

"Someone making plans for round two?" Dave asked, with a grin.

"No... well. Yes. But what I mean is we should do this every night." Mindy stated with a smile.

"Well I had planned on a two or three day schedule, with games and other activities..." Dave stated with a laugh.

"No that's not what I mean, you horny little perv, I mean every-time we make love... we should do it like it was our last time together." Mindy finished with a little sadness.

"What do you mean?" Dave asked as he began analyzing her eyes.

"We live a dangerous life, Dave. I get that sex is a special thing, and I know we can't do it all the time, but the times we do, it think we should treat them like our last night together, no pain, no anger, no worry, just love. Because if I die Dave, I want my last memory, to be of us, here, nothing between us. I want my last memory of us together to be full of love." Mindy finished.

Dave couldn't help but sense wisdom, beyond her years, present in her words. To fuck each time, like it was their last... that's something that Dave could do. To spend that last night, only thinking about Mindy. Treating every act of sex as a consummation of their love, rather than as an act of pleasure. That was something that Dave wouldn't mind experiencing over and over again.

"Then that's what I'll live for." Dave stated to himself, with a measure of confidence.

Mindy looked at him curiously.

"I won't die, until I get to spend that night with you. I will wake up each day, and live for that moment with you." Dave promised, as he kissed her.

Mindy had to fight back the urge to cry, it wasn't hard for her to remember why she loved him so much. He was just so damn perfect in her eyes. And now, he was all hers. Mindy pulled him into another kiss, as her mind began to wander towards the future.

"So... I was thinking... when you turn eighteen, I know you said we would, but I just wanted to ask again, you wanna get married?" Dave asked with a grin.

Mindy looked at him for a second, processing his question, a wide grin spread across her face, "You bet you're ass I do?"

* * *

_Okay so this chapter is done, I think the updates are going to start coming over the course a two or three days now. I find myself getting closer and closer to starting my new job and I don't want to burn out. I will try to make the chapters as long as this one or longer, so... yeah. Anyway let me know what you think, I know most of the first half of this chapter is exposition, so let me know if anything doesn't make sense, so I can either address it later, or go back and fix it. I've also got to think up some cool superheroes to join the team, so I look forward to that. Anyway later._


	16. Chapter 16

_Okay so I'm ready to start chapter 16, all of your reviews have been so helpful and they've really encouraged me to keep going, Please let me know what you think, and enjoy. In honor of the 10,000 views you have given me, I give you 10,000 words, please enjoy, and as always, Reviews are appreciated._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 16

Mindy awoke, in a haze. The memories of the previous night began replaying in her head. The feeling of Dave's lip, on hers. The feeling of his arms wrapped around her. The feeling of him, inside of her.

Mindy slid her hands across her body, as her hormones, started racing. Mindy couldn't help her desires, as her hand found it's way between her legs. This was the first time she had ever pleasured herself, and it was just as much fun as Dave had said it was.

As her lover's name passed through her head, she remembered that he was laying in bed right next to her. Mindy quickly turned to search the bed, it was a moment before she realized that he wasn't there.

Mindy stopped pleasuring herself as she sat up, and looked around the room, he was nowhere to been seen.

"Where in the hell could he be?" She thought to herself as she stood. As she stood, she felt a small amount of pain between her legs.

"I think he might have jarred something lose." She giggled to herself, as she walked past a mirror on the wall.

As she passed it, she turned to look at herself. Mindy had never been vane, about her appearance, it was only when she started to date Dave, did she actually start doing things to make herself look more appealing. Before she started dating Dave, her biggest concern when she took a shower was not stinking when it was over. Now her biggest concern was smelling nice, and looking appealing for Dave.

Her eyes drifted over her naked body, as she looked at herself she felt a tingle pass through her body. Even with all the bruises and cuts, even with all of the scars, Dave still found her beautiful, and even more than that, he found her sexy.

Mindy couldn't help but notice the grin that was plastered on her face. As she looked at herself in the mirror, Mindy felt as if she was looking at another person. This girl that was standing stark naked in front of her, looked like she didn't have a care in the world, this girl looked so happy. Mindy couldn't remember a time when she was, carefree and happy, and yet the look on her face was unmistakable, it was a look of pure serenity.

After a moment, she remembered that her lover had vanished. Mindy quickly threw on the same clothes that she had worn last night, and headed out to find him.

It was still pretty early, about 6:00 am, so no one was really awake, she searched the living room and kitchen, but he wasn't there, eventually she made her way to the workout room. She found Dave there, he was working out, and from the look of the sweat on his body, he had been there for a while.

"So, this is where you ran off too." Mindy stated as she walked up to him.

"Yep, nothing like a morning workout, to get the blood pumping." Dave replied as he continued to do push ups.

"I was pretty disappointed when I woke up to find my lover, missing." Mindy stated, trying to ask him a question without appearing like she really cared.

Dave stood up and looked at her, it was about now that she noticed that he looked like he hadn't slept

"Sorry, I just couldn't sleep last night and it was either, get up and do things, or molest you in your sleep." Dave replied meekly, fatigue evident in his voice.

"I wouldn't have minded." Mindy replied with a smirk, as she pulled him into a kiss.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have." Dave replied as he pulled away.

"You look like shit." Mindy stated as she ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah well..." Dave drifted off, he obviously, didn't know how tired he looked.

As Mindy stared at him, she finally realized what must have happened.

"Nightmares?" She asked sadly.

All Dave could do to answer, was nod.

Mindy had to hold back a few tears, as she watched him nod. It was almost like he was ashamed, or embarrassed to admit it. Even after everything that had happened, even after last night, he still wasn't able to deal with his own guilt.

She couldn't help but curse to herself, she hated that he felt like that. She hated, that the happiest moment of her life, was just a bright patch, in the shit, that was his life.

Dave just couldn't move on, he couldn't leave the past in the past.

It was at this moment that Mindy wished, she was a therapist or something like that, so she could fix Dave.

"You're always working, aren't you?" Mindy stated with a forced smile.

"I wonder who I learned that from?" Dave stated with a smirk as he hugged her.

"Don't be an ass." Mindy stated in reply as she hugged him back.

After a moment he pulled back, he held a smile on his face, but there was still a weary look in his eyes.

"So... what are we doing today?" Mindy asked after a moment.

"Well, we need to move into this building. Then we need start hunting for new members." Dave stated with a degree of confidence.

"You're right. We should probably get to work." Mindy stated with a nod.

"Look... why don't you and Marcus, go and start moving things out of the old headquarters. While me and Marty go and talk to a few old friends." Dave stated with a smirk.

"Oh... so I get stuck with the heavy lifting?" Mindy chided, in return.

"Hey. I'm the one that inspires people. Your the one that's kill them." Dave stated with a laugh.

"Fuck... Fine..." Mindy stated after a moment.

"Good." Dave said with a smile.

After a moment of staring at each other, Dave hopped onto the computer, he sent out a few emails to the old members of Justice Forever, asking them to meet in the alley behind the bar, where their, headquarters used to be.

A few minutes went by, and Dave went to wake up Marty. The two of them suited up and quickly left.

After a little while, Marcus, finally woke up, after breakfast and a shower, Mindy asked if he wanted to help, with moving.

He ended up agreeing, and strangely, Marty's parents also offered to help. Mindy guessed that the two of them, wanted to support their son however they could.

At around 8:00 am, the group left to return to Mindy's headquarters. As they entered, Mindy began directing the group, telling them what needed to be taken, and what they should leave behind. Mindy planned to turn this place into a new safe house, so while the others were busy packing Mindy got to work, cutting a hole in the floor boards. She intended to hide a few guns and some money inside, in case anyone needed it.

All in all, they got about a fifth of the guns packed into Dave's, Marcus', Marty's parent's cars. They would definitely need to bring a bigger vehicle, Mindy thought to herself as everyone piled into a car. Everyone drove a car, and Mindy drove her motorcycle, they quickly made their way back to the new headquarters, and parked in front of the garage.

Mindy got off her bike, and entered the code into the keypad that was next to the garage door. As the door was opening Mindy realized that she hadn't explored the garage, to see if Harper had left anything for them. As the door finished opening, Mindy walked her bike into the garage, while the others drove in, she quickly scanned the area, and found that it was basically a wide open area, that they could store cars in. The whole place could probably store about twenty cars, if they needed too.

As she was scanning, Mindy noticed two large black tarps, covering two separate vehicles. She had to hide her excitement as she walked over to the covered vehicles. The others noticed them as well and followed her.

As Mindy, approached her heart began to race quicker, it was like all the times, she had gotten presents. She couldn't help but get excited at size of the hidden vehicles, because of the tarps, she couldn't see what they were, but from the size of the tarps, they had to be larger vehicles.

Mindy, quickly pulled the tarp, off of one of the vehicles, and her face lit up. She recognized it immediately, it was a Knight, XV Luxury Bulletproof SUV. An armored SUV, that held four passengers. Mindy had the biggest grin on her face, she had always wanted an armored car, and now, they had two, and it looked awesome, the car itself was all black, and it was fully armored. Marcus pulled the tarp off the other car to reveal another one.

They had two armored cars, this was just fucking awesome. Mindy thought to herself, as she opened the door to one. She found the keys to the car in the glove compartment, she really wanted to fiddle with them, but they had work they needed to do, so she had to wait.

The four of them admired the cars for a little while before, getting to work. They unloaded they're vehicles and began carrying weapons and armor into the armory, which was conveniently, right next to the garage.

After about forty minutes, Dave and Marty returned.

"You guys need a hand?" Dave asked as he walked in and took off his mask.

"Yeah." Mindy stated as she packed away another gun.

"Alright." Dave stated as he walked over to start helping. Marty, walked over and helped his parents with what they were working on.

"So...?" Marcus stated walking into the room, with another box. "What news do you have?"

"We met with some of the old members of Justice Forever..." Dave started.

"...and?" Mindy asked when he paused.

"Doctor Gravity is in. Night Bitch seemed interested. Remembering Tommy and Insect man, were a little hesitant, I think they want to help, but they're afraid." Dave explained to the group.

"Cool so we got one guy. Do you think Night Bitch, will join?" Mindy asked.

"Maybe, she's still a little shaken from what Chris did to her, but I think theirs a good chance she'd team up again." Dave stated in a sad tone.

"So that puts us up to four confirmed members." Marty stated.

"Yeah. Marcus is still debating on whether or not he wants to join." Mindy stated as she gave Marcus a look. He just stared back with a blank look on his face.

"We've got three more potentials." Marty stated as he and his parents walked over.

"Who?" Mindy asked looking at Dave.

"...Well, first we've got Todd..." Dave started but Mindy quickly interjected.

"Todd! Are you serious? You'd let that fucking idiot, join?" Mindy nearly shouted, a mixture of surprise and anger in her voice.

"It's not like I can broadcast that we're looking for superheroes. All of our recruitment has to be done through word of mouth, that means the people I can get into contact with. Todd is one of those few people." Dave explained, he was surprisingly calm.

"That son of a bitch, got your dad killed, he put Katie into the hospital, and you'd trust him to watch your back out there?" Mindy asked, with a look of bewilderment.

"I've put a lot of thought into this Mindy, I even went out and saw him last night." Dave explained.

"What?" Mindy asked, now confused.

"When I couldn't sleep last night, I went over to Todd's house. He was in his living room, I got close enough to see him. The guy looks like he hasn't slept in about a month. I can tell that the guilt is tearing him apart." Dave explained, a mixture sadness and pity evident in his voice.

"Dave..." Mindy began, she examined him as thoroughly as she could. He looked tired, but he also had a look of determination in his eyes.

"Look Mindy. He knows what he's done and it's ruining him. I'm not saying I'm going to forgive him, I'm not saying that I'm even going to like him. What I am saying, is that he needs to repay his debt. He needs to make up, for all that he has done. And I can't think of a better way, then putting him to work as a hero." Dave explained.

Mindy stared back at Dave, she was deep in thought. Dave was right, they needed people, right now they didn't have the luxury of turning away anyone. They needed people, and like it or not, even a rookie like Todd could end up doing some good.

"Okay Dave. I don't like it, but I guess it is your decision." Mindy stated.

"Look, I don't plan on making it easy for him. I'll be the one to train him, I'll get to vent my frustrations on him. I'll turn him into a hero whether he likes it or not. Todd's going to spend the rest of his life, making this up to me." Dave stated with a little venom.

"What about the other two?' Mindy asked after a second.

"Well there might be a third, but that one isn't confirmed. I know these two will join, and I know I can get Todd to join." Dave explained.

"Okay. So who are the two?" Mindy asked again.

"Well one is supposedly an ex British sniper. While the other is ex DEA." Marty explained with a grin.

"Are you shitting me? A sniper and a DEA agent!" Mindy stated with a grin.

"That's what Doctor Gravity, told us." Marty stated again.

"We'll be meeting with them tonight." Dave said, a cautious look evident on his face.

"You worried?" Mindy asked noticing Dave's look.

"No." Dave stated after a second or two. "It's just..."

"What?" She asked as he drifted off.

"It's the other person that we haven't confirmed yet." Marty stated.

"Whats up?" Mindy asked turning to look at Marty.

"After the bounty went up on Dave, and the motherfucker burned our houses down, Doctor Gravity decided to try and get the gang back together, they even managed to get into contact with these two new guys. Justice Forever, and another group of heroes was supposed to meet up, but Chris found the other group of heroes and murdered them all. So Justice Forever, went into hiding." Marty explained.

"Okay so that's how Doctor Gravity, knows the two new guys, but whats up with the third?" Mindy asked in a confused tone.

"Well..." Marty began.

"I think it might be Katie." Dave interjected.

"What?" Mindy asked, visibly stuck.

"Yeah. Doctor Gravity, told us that he just met her yesterday, and apparently, she was looking for other heroes to form a gang." Marty added.

"What makes you thinks it's her?" Mindy asked with a little disbelief.

"She told Doctor Gravity her story, about how she was attacked by The Motherfucker's men in her own home, about how her dad was murdered. According to him, she walked with a noticeable limp, not uncommon for someone who took a knife to the vag, and apparently she was looking for The Fallen and Hit Girl." Marty explained.

"You're right, that's almost definitely her. What do you think she wants?" Mindy stated, a little flustered.

"Revenge." Dave stated plainly.

"You know how much of a temper she has." He added after a second.

"Wow." Mindy stated. Katie was one of the last people, Mindy could ever imagine working as a superhero.

"Doctor Gravity, said that he'd get into contact with her, and have her meet us tonight." Marty stated after a moment of silence.

"So... for certain, we have four new recruits?" Mindy asked Dave.

"Yep. If we add Katie, Marcus, and the others, we're looking at a group of over twelve." Dave stated.

As he mentioned Marcus' name, Mindy turned and looked at him. She was waiting for the right time to ask Marcus to officially join. She was sure that he would, since he couldn't be a cop anymore.

"So what time are we going out?" Mindy asked after a moment of silence.

"We'll go out after eight." Dave stated as he finished putting a gun away.

"Right..." Mindy replied as she drifted into thought.

* * *

-A few hour later-

As eight o'clock rolled around, Mindy, Dave, and Marty suited up and headed out. Dave led them to the meeting spot, the meeting spot was on top of an apartment complex. The three of them stood, there for a few moments before they heard the door open.

They turned to see Doctor Gravity, and another guy, walking toward them.

"Hey there man." Marty stated as they walked up.

"Sup, guys." Doctor Gravity said with a smile as he walked over.

"Hey." Dave stated, happily, as shook Doctor Gravity's hand.

Mindy began eying the new guy. He was about as tall as Dave, he wasn't dressed in costume. Mindy's jaw dropped, this guy was supremely hot, he had short, dirty blonde hair, he also had full stubble on his face. He also had small blue eyes, the guy was, just plain good looking.

After a moment, the new guy spoke. "Hello, chaps."

"Sup man." Marty stated, shaking his hand.

"Hey." Mindy and Dave, stated as they shook his hand.

"Names Duncan Young, Nice to meet you." Duncan stated in a very British tone.

"Nice to meet you Duncan." Dave stated, as the door opened and another guy walked out.

This man was obviously Latino, and slightly shorter than the other guy. He was clean shaven, with short brown hair. "So this is where superheroes congregate." He said with a smile as he approached.

"Not really, we actually have an awesome hideout, it's just more convenient to meet outside, in the open, when it's only ten degrees outside." Mindy stated, in a condescending fashion.

"Ow. Claws out today?" Doctor Gravity said with smirk.

"It's really an honor to meet you guys, my name is Dominic Martinez." The Latino man stated with a smile.

Dave, Mindy, and Marty, all said their greetings. After about two minutes the door to the roof opened and Katie Deauxma walked out.

Dave almost audibly gulped as he saw her. Katie looked disheveled, she had obviously not had much sleep since her ordeal, a week ago. She also walked with a very noticeable limp, as she saw this, Mindy couldn't help but cringe as she tried to imagine the pain of having a knife stabbed into you special place.

Katie carried a solemn look on her face, she was trying her best not to appear like she needed help.

"Hey." Doctor Gravity, said with a smile as he walked over to greet her.

"Hey." Katie replied breathlessly, she was obviously winded from all of the stair she had to climb to get to the roof.

All Dave could do was stare at her, he felt supremely guilty for what had happened to her. He was the one that got her mixed up in the whole superhero thing, and now she might be getting mixed up in it again.

As she finished saying her hellos to the two new guys, she focused her attention on Dave and Mindy. Katie hobbled forward and extended a hand to Mindy. "It's really nice to finally meet you Hit Girl, I'm a big fan."

"Thanks." Mindy stated with a awkward smile, as she shook Katie hand.

After she finished shaking Mindy's hand she turned to look at Dave. "I do believe we've already met."

"Yeah." Dave replied with sadness in his voice.

After a moment, Dave finally found the courage to confront Katie.

"What are you doing here, Katie?" Dave asked meekly.

"Well, first thing I wanted to do, was thank my saviors. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I'd be dead..." Katie began, as she spoke, a thankful smile crossed her face.

"...and secondly... I wanted to ask about joining." Katie finished, as she spoke those words Dave felt as if a train had just barreled into him. Dave had lost all respect for Katie after she broke up with him and basically admitted to cheating on him, he thought that he didn't care about her at all anymore, but he was wrong, a tiny part of him still cared, and as she said those words, that part, had nothing but respect for her.

"Why?" Mindy asked, breaking Dave's line of thought.

"The Motherfucker killed my Dad, he tried to kill me too. I want him to pay, I want to make sure he can never do anything like this ever again. I want to learn how to protect myself, so that something like this never happens to me again." Katie stated. Even though she had a great deal of fear and uncertainty in her voice, Mindy could tell from a single glance at Katie's eyes, just how much conviction she held.

"I don't think this is a good idea, I mean can you even run?" Dave asked with great concern.

"My stitches will dissolve in a few weeks, as long as I don't try so do the splits, or have sex, my doctor said I should have full range of motion." Katie replied with a little contempt.

"I think we should take her." Mindy stated as Katie finished talking.

"What?" Dave asked with surprise.

"Look, we can keep her off the streets until she's healed, and in the mean time, I can teach her how to shoot. She doesn't need to move to learn how to pull a trigger." Mindy explained.

Dave just stared at her for a moment, he obviously wasn't expecting Mindy to go along with this.

"She wants to put her life on the line to fight criminals." Mindy stated with a shrug. "You three know that joining up with us could get you killed?" Mindy asked turning her attention to Katie and the others.

All three of them nodded after a moment.

"See... they know what they're getting into. Besides, if we don't let her join, shes just going to go out onto the streets anyway." Mindy stated as she turned to look back at Dave.

After a moment of thought, Dave finally relented. "Fine."

"So what's your stories?" Mindy asked as she looked at the two new guys.

The British guy, Duncan, told them about how he was born in Britain, and eventually, joined the British military. He didn't get into specifics, but apparently he was a sniper, and he fought in Afghanistan. He'd been in the army for fourteen years, and he always had a taste for helping people. He told them how he and his spotter, once spent eight days in the hills over looking, what they assumed to be a Taliban headquarters, he and his partners just watched, until finally they were able to confirm the presence of a Taliban higher up, and received the order to begin taking out anyone they could get a beat on. They managed to kill eighteen insurgents, before U.S. Apache longbows, flew in and air bombed the shit out of the place. After the mission he and his partner were given medals, and honorably discharged, for their service.

That was a year or two back, and after he was discharged, he immigrated to the U.S. He ended up in New York, and found that he liked it a lot. Apparently, he always wanted to join with the superheroes, but he was afraid of his own skill set. He didn't want to keep killing, he wanted to help people. Of course now that the city was under martial law, and it's basically become a war zone anyway, he figured now was as good a time as any to join up.

Mindy liked this guy, he just seemed generally cool, and he was also foreign, Mindy had only met one or two foreign people in her entire life. She was really hoping he would stay on, so she could learn more about his culture and what stuff is like in the United Kingdom.

The other guy, Dominic, was pretty cool too. He worked for the DEA for a few years, and ended up as a double agent working for a Mexican Cartel. He was undercover for like four years, and it was only a few months ago that, he actually made it back into the U.S. He told them how he was fired from the DEA, apparently on his last mission, they had discovered a large compound where the Cartel leader lived. Dominic was able to infiltrate it, but when he got there he found out that the leader's family also lived there. The guy had like eight kids, Dominic couldn't let them get hurt so he warned the mother, a few moments before the DEA raid, and of course, this led to the Cartel leader escaping. So yeah, he was fired.

Dominic loved his work, he loved getting criminals off the streets and he would do anything to get back out there and help people.

Mindy couldn't help but like him too, he was just so nice. It was weird, the guy seemed trustworthy, right off the bat, he seemed like the kind of guy, you just want to hang out with after a long days work.

Doctor Gravity eventually, got around to telling his story, about how he used to be a cop, but got fed up with all the red tape. Mindy could get behind that, she secretly wondered if maybe he knew Marcus. She couldn't wait for the two to meet, so she could find out.

"So whats your guy's story?" Dominic asked after Doctor Gravity, finished.

"Hit Girl was born to do this kinda thing, and I'm just kinda along for the ride." Dave quipped.

Mindy just smirked and nodded. It was basically public knowledge, already, that Dave used to be Kickass and now he was The Fallen, and the whole damn internet knew that Mindy Macready was really Hit Girl. The others kinda picked up on the whole, 'figure it out, your damn self' vibe, that Dave was giving off.

"So whats first on the agenda?" Duncan asked, after a moment of silence.

"First, we take you back to our headquarters, show you around. Then we test you out, see what skills you already have, after that, it's time to name you, then we need to make you guys costumes." Mindy stated with a smirk.

"After all of that, it's time to get to training." Dave finished, for her.

"Sounds like a plan." Duncan stated with a grin.

"Theirs some place we need to go first." Dave stated as he began walking toward the door.

"Wheres that?" Dominic asked as he walked by.

"To pick up the fifth new member to our little team." Dave stated, in a serious tone.

The group all traveled down stairs and got into their cars. The others followed Dave, Mindy, and Marty, who were in Dave's car. They drove a few blocks over and arrived at Todd's house. The others followed Dave as he got out and marched toward Todd's front door.

"Your not gonna kick the door down again, are you?" Mindy asked sarcastically as Dave reached the door.

"Nope, I think I'll knock this time." Dave replied with a sneer.

The others just stood at the base of the stairs as Dave pounded on Todd's door. After a few moments the door opened revealing a disheveled looking Todd. As he saw them, him eyes went wide, and he turned to try and run away.

Dave quickly grabbed onto the back of his shirt and hauled him outside. The others were watching very intently at this sudden change in tone. Marty, decided it was best to give them a quick overview of what Todd had done, so that they wouldn't think that Dave was acting to harshly. He made sure to leave out the part about Todd's involvement in what happened to Katie, he was sure she wouldn't be to into the idea of working with him if she knew.

"Hello, Todd." Dave stated menacingly, as he walked him over to the side of his house. Mindy was right by his side the whole time, watching Todd like a hawk, to make sure he didn't try anything.

"I didn't say anything to anybody! I swear!" Todd whined as Dave pushed him against a wall.

"It's time you repay your debt, Todd." Mindy stated with a look of disdain.

"Wha... What do you want me to do?" Todd asked, fear evident in his eyes.

"The Motherfucker's gonna make another move on the city one day. We need people, to help stem the tide." Dave stated plainly.

Todd had a look of confusion on his face. "What exactly do you want me to do?" He asked again.

"I want you to put on your spandex, pick up a weapon, and help us clean up this city." Dave hissed.

"You want we to put on the costume? ...You want my help?" Todd asked, disbelief in his eyes.

"I don't want it. I need it!" Dave stated with a glare

"If we weren't under siege right now, we wouldn't be wasting our time on you, cock breath." Mindy chided.

"I- I don't understand. Why do you want my help?" Todd asked again, fear still very much present in his voice.

"You owe me a debt, you got my father killed, you fucking idiot. I'm asking, if you would like the opportunity to spend the rest of you life making it up to me." Dave almost yelled.

"Make it up..." Todd stated as he realized what he was truly being offered.

"It's not going to be easy, and I sure as shit ain't going to make it pleasant for you, but if you ever want the chance, to earn my forgiveness, this is the price." Dave stated.

Todd looked to be deep in thought. This was his life, they were asking for, he could die. But Dave did say that there might be a change to be forgiven, and Todd sure would like to be able to look at himself in the mirror again. After a moment he finally nodded in acceptance.

"You'll do it?" Mindy asked suspiciously.

"Yeah... I'll do whatever you want. I'll help however I can." Todd stated with a measure of certitude.

"We're going to clean up this city, until that day... your going to rededicate your life to stopping criminals. And on that day, on the day when the criminal elements are defeated, and we can all go home, on that day. You'll be free to leave, whether or not it's with my forgiveness, is up to you." Dave stated.

"Is that fair enough for you?" Mindy asked, sarcastically.

"Yeah..." Todd stated, with a gulp.

"Good... Go get your fucking costume, and let's go." Dave stated as he released him.

Todd quickly ran back into his house to grab his costume. Dave and Mindy just headed back to the car, as they reached it they heard Dominic say something.

"So... I'm guessing theirs going to be a lot of drama around here."

"Haha... you have no idea." Marty said with a grin as he walked over to the car.

After a moment Todd came out in his Asskicker costume, and got into Dave's car.

The groups drove in silence back to the headquarters, as they pulled up to the garage, Mindy hopped out and punched in the code.

They all drove in and parked. They all got out and Doctor Gravity and Dominic, were both immediately drawn to the bad-ass armored SUVs in the corner.

"Damn.. this thing is awesome." Doc. Gravity said with a smile.

"Seats four, and it's bulletproof." Mindy shouted over to them.

"This is your headquarters?" Katie asked Mindy, as she got out of her car.

"Impressive, ain't it?" Mindy stated with a grin.

"How big is this place?" Todd asked.

"Big." Dave stated plainly as he walked towards the armory.

"Hey guys. You can gawk at the car later." Mindy shouted to Dominic and Doctor Gravity.

The two smiled at each other before fallowing after her.

The group was left awe struck at the sight of the armory. It was filled with guns, blades, bombs, and armor. None of the others had ever seen anything like it.

"This reminds me of boot camp." Duncan stated, to no one in particular.

"This is were you are allowed to be you. This is where you exist. Out there, you're a hero." Dave stated as he began taking his face mask off.

"Yeah. First rule of being a hero, is don't be a fucking idiot." Mindy stated pointing at Todd.

"Second rule is never use your real name, while in costume." Dave stated as he pulled his mask off, and pulled his hood back. None of them looked surprised to see his face, it was already know pretty much universally that Dave was The Fallen.

They were surprised however when Mindy took her wig, and face-mask off. The internet was sure who she was, but it hadn't been confirmed, it was more than a little jarring to see such a young girl underneath the mask, especially given all that she has done.

The two that were most surprised were Todd and Katie, because they both recognized her from school.

"Here... we use our real names." Dave stated as he pulled off his coat. "My name is Dave Lizewski." Dave stated as he stepped forward to shake Dominic, Duncan, and Doctor Gravity's hands.

"Mindy Macready." Mindy stated as she did the same.

Dave gave Katie a nod, as he finished taking the rest of his costume off. As Dave was pulling off a shin guard, Marcus and Marty's parents walked in.

"Dude your parents are superheroes too?" Todd asked Marty.

"No..." Marty stated giving Todd a look.

"Well then.. what are they doing here?" He asked obviously unaware of how stupid he looked right now.

"You told the Motherfucker who I was. He burned my house down. Where the hell are they supposed to be?" Marty stated in disbelief.

"Shit... sorry man." Todd, stated as he finally caught on.

"Dude... I swear to god, you're going to give me an aneurism." Marty stated as he began to message his temples.

Marcus and Marty's parents walked over and introduced themselves to the group. Turns out Marcus and Doctor Gravity didn't know each other, but whatever.

After a moment of introductions, Mindy finally spoke up. "So this place is going to be self sufficient. We live off of what we take from the bad guys. It's not glamorous, and we'll understand if you don't want to quit your day job, but if you want too, this place has rooms, food, electricity, and running water. Trust me when I say that being a hero is dangerous for, not only your health, but the health of the people you care about. It would be a good idea for you guys to move in here, and sever all ties. I know how difficult that might be, and I'm not saying you have to, but you should consider it."

Dominic and Doctor Gravity looked to be deep in thought, Duncan simply nodded. Katie also nodded. Todd seemed to look to Marty for some direction, but in the end he just nodded too.

"Make no mistakes. This isn't Justice Forever. We're out there to drive the criminals out of our city, and protect people. We aren't a group of masked punks out there to make the city a brighter place. We're here to beat the bad guys and save lives. Chris is torturing the city, if we don't find a way to stop him, more people are gonna die." Dave stated with a great deal of authority.

The group members nodded to show that they understood. After a moment Mindy looked at Marcus, her eyes once again asking for an answer. Marcus just stared back, after a moment he finally spoke up. "Count me in, too."

"You sure Marcus?" Dave asked staring at him.

"It's not like I can go outside, or go back to being a cop, so I might as well help make sure my daughter doesn't get killed out there." Marcus stated with a shrug.

Mindy just smiled at him and mouthed 'thank you.'

"That makes nine. Nine assholes to prance around New York and fight crime." Dave stated with a dorky smile.

"I guess it does." Mindy stated with a small nod.

"Okay... before we give you guys the grand tour, we need to lay down a few base rules. This group doesn't have any set leaders, with that being said, me and Mindy have been doing this the longest, if you have questions, need help, need direction, want to know what 'protocol' is, you ask us. The group works as a team, there are no lone wolves, as group seniors, Mindy and I reserve the right to kick your ass if you get outta line. In regards to the criminals, we have a 'zero' aggression policy... and by that I mean if a criminal shows any sort of aggression, you are free to kill him. You may take anything from a criminal that was obtained illegally. Like dirty money, for example. As a former member of the DEA I assume you can show us how to safely dispose of any drugs we come across?" Dave finished motioning towards Dominic.

"Yes I can." He replied with a nod.

"Good... put 911 on your speed dial, after we take down a criminal you zip cuff him and call the cops. Even if you kill a criminal, you call the cops. They're going to hate you a lot more, if you don't tell them, or you let them find it on their own. Regardless of what you have heard, most cops couldn't give two shits about vigilantes cleaning up the streets, what they do care about is having to clean up the mess, so let's offer them a hand." Dave finished explaining to the group.

"We will start off operating, as a full group, going on patrols together. After a little while we'll break off into smaller teams, but we will always remain in contact with one another, and you will be asked to report any criminal take-downs to the rest of the group. That way, we'll know were the criminals are, and we'll know if a group needs help." Mindy added.

"We'll start up patrols in a few days, after everyone gets settled, and figures out there whole superhero bio." Dave stated.

The group nodded, to show their understanding.

"Okay... well... who wants a tour?" Mindy asked.

Katie, Todd, and Dominic raised their hands.

"Alright well lets go." Mindy stated as she turned to move.

Mindy led the group through the warehouse and showed them where everything was. All in all the tour took about thirty minutes.

They eventually made their way back to the armory.

Alright... so... do you ladies want a night to get rested up, or do you want to get started." Mindy asked with a smirk.

Most of the guys just laughed and rolled their eyes.

"It's getting late. We'll all meet up tomorrow, and start training then." Dave stated with a grin.

"Sounds good to me." Duncan replied as he admired a M110 rifle, that was hung on the wall.

"You know how to use that." Mindy asked as she walked up next to him.

"I don't want to gloat, darling. But if you put a rifle in my hands, I can put a round through a flea's ass, at five hundred meters." Duncan boasted with a smile.

"What kind of rifle did you use during the war?" Mindy asked. As she was talking to him, she heard the others begin to congregate, and talk to one another.

"I used an Accuracy International L115A3... did you know that the longest recorded kill shot was made with that rifle?" He stated with a smile.

"No I didn't, how far was it?" Mindy stated curiously.

"Two thousand four hundred and seventy-five meters. That's over eight thousand, one hundred and twenty feet. The shot was made by a fellow countrymen." Duncan stated with a bit of pride.

"Jesus... I had heard of shots like that, but I never knew if any of them were actually real. It's gotta feel good to know that the world record is held by a guy from the same country as you." Mindy stated with a smile.

"Yes... yes it does feel good..." Duncan stated as he continued to eye the rifle.

The group spent a few more minutes talking about stupid crap, before finally dispersing. Katie was the first one to approach them, about moving into the headquarters. She said that since The Motherfucker knew where she lived, it wasn't safe for her to go back to her house, so she had been living in a hotel for the last few days. Dave and Mindy understood, so they offered to help her move her stuff into the headquarters tomorrow. Katie said thanks before quickly leaving.

As the group dispersed Dave and Mindy found their way, back to their room. They both laid in bed next to each other, thinking about the day's events. Mindy found it hard to hide her excitement, she had never been part of a team, she really felt like one of the avengers, or like a member of the Justice League. It was kind of intimidating, while at the same time, the challenge that it presented, was too much for Mindy to pass up. She couldn't wait for the morning.

As she lay there, memories of the previous night washed over her. "Hey Dave..."

"What?" He asked, still staring at the ceiling.

"You wanna do something?" She asked, with a seductive smirk.

"Sure... I think I know a few things we can do." Dave stated with a smirk, as he sat up and began stripping off his clothes.

Mindy smiled and sat up, she quickly stripped off her clothes, and climbed on top of Dave.

Dave smiled, as he pulled her into a kiss.

"Are you gonna make things easy on Todd?" Mindy asked, out of a sudden curiosity.

"Are you gonna make things easy on Katie?" Dave asked in reply.

"Maybe at first." Mindy stated.

"Look... let's worry about hero stuff later. Right now, it's just you and me."

"...Fine... Take me." Mindy stated whimsically.

"Right, boss." Dave stated as he pulled her into another kiss.

Dave slowly lowered Mindy onto her back, climbed on top of her and slid a hand between her legs. Mindy let out a little moan, as she pulled him down to kiss her.

"I love it when you moan." Dave whispered into her ear.

"I love it when you fuck me." She whispered back.

Dave inserted a finger, then a second. He found her G-spot, and began stimulating her. Mindy let out a loud moan, as her body writhed underneath him. After a moment he removed his fingers and kissed her deeply.

Dave pulled back and looked into her eyes, after a second he started to kiss his way down neck.

As Dave worked his way down to her breasts Mindy realized where this was heading, she spread her legs wide, as he kissed her nipples.

After a moment, Dave began kissing his way down her stomach, then across her pelvis. Mindy's body tingled with anticipation, as Dave reached her pussy. Dave gently kissed her opening, and after a second he started to gently lick her wet mound.

Mindy let out a light moan, as Dave was licking her, Mindy let one of her hands drift down to her breast, while the other found it's way to Dave's head. She began running her hands through his hair.

"You like that?" Dave asked with a smirk.

Mindy nodded, as she looked down at him. After a moment Dave sat up, and pulled Mindy into a sitting position.

"You ready?" Dave asked as he kissed her neck.

"Fuck yes!" Mindy, sighed.

As she answered, Dave pulled her onto his lap. Mindy perched on her knees, as Dave got himself lined up. After a moment she pressed down onto his dick.

Mindy was slightly hesitant, as she remembered the pain of the previous night, but her hesitation faded almost immediately, as she felt him slide inside of her, without any pain.

Mindy didn't waste anytime as she quickly began riding his dick. His earlier stimulation had pushed her close to the edge, so she wasn't going to last very long.

As she was nearing her climax, she pulled him into a kiss, she could slightly taste her own juices, on his lips.

"Dave..." she moaned into the kiss.

Dave just smiled in reply as he felt her reach her climax.

Mindy let out a loud moan, as waves of pleasure cascaded over her. As her body writhed in pleasure, she lost her grip on Dave and fell back onto the bed.

After a moment Dave crawled on top of her, and pressed his lips to hers.

"Let me know when you're ready." Dave stated as he started to play with her breasts.

Mindy continued to writhe around in bliss for a few more moments, before she felt ready to go again.

"If you don't get me off again, I gonna make you my bitch." Mindy giggled as she spread her legs for him.

"Is that an order?" Dave asked with a grin as he sat up and got into position.

"You bet your ass, it is." Mindy stated, with a slight moan, as he entered her.

Dave slowly started to thrust in and out of her, and after a moment or two, he began to pick up speed.

Dave leaned forward after a moment and supported himself on his hand as he continued to thrust into her.

Mindy felt her pelvis slightly arching to meet his thrusts, she didn't really know what her body was doing right now, she was overcome by pleasure, and had basically checked out.

After a few minutes kissing and fucking, Dave felt a pressure begin to build in his loins. "Mindy... I'm so close..."

"So am I..." Mindy replied, as she wrapped her arms around him.

Dave pulled Mindy up into a kiss as he reached his climax. Mindy moaned loudly into the kiss as she felt his hot seed fill her up, she quickly reached her climax, just as Dave had reached his.

As Mindy moaned into the kiss, Dave felt a dull burning pain, shoot across his back, he chose to ignore it for the moment.

As she came down from her orgasm, Mindy placed her hands on Dave's cheeks, and continued to kiss him deeply. After a moment she pulled away to look at him, her hands still on his face. Her eyes were locked with his, but the familiar red tint on her fingernails drew her attention.

Mindy pulled back slightly, and examined her fingers, there was a little skin, and some blood under the nails. "Oh shit... did I...?" Mindy stated, as she pulled his head down to her chest so that she could see his back.

"Not that I don't like your tits, but what am I doing down here?" Dave asked with a laugh.

"Okay so I think I scratched the shit outta you." Mindy said with a nervous giggle.

"What?" Dave asked as he sat up and looked over, at a nearby mirror. He adjusted himself so that he could see his back, and to no real surprise, there were five, red scratch marks across his back. Three on one side, two on the other. Each one had a tiny bit of blood coming from it.

"So that's what that was." Dave said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry." Mindy stated with a little regret.

"Don't be... it's actually kinda cool." Dave stated as he admired the scratches.

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked, a little confused.

"It's a love scar, and it means that I brought a woman to such an intense orgasm, that she actually lost control of herself for a second... I shall wear these scars as a badge of honor." Dave stated proudly.

"God, you're a dork." Mindy stated with a giggle.

Mindy felt Dave slip out of her, as she was lying there looking up at him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Dave stated with a grin.

"You'd better not run away again." Mindy stated as he laid next to her.

"I'll try my hardest." Dave replied with a sad look in his eyes.

"I'm going to make sure you can't run away." Mindy stated as she climbed on top of him and rested her head on his chest.

"Going to sleep on top of me?" Dave asked, as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Yep... you can't run away if I'm right here." Mindy replied as she closed her eyes.

As Dave felt sleep, quickly descend on him, there were two thoughts running through his head. One, was that this, was a perfect way to end the night, and the other was that he hoped that he would be able to sleep through the night.

* * *

-Morning-

Mindy's eyes slowly opened as she felt fingers running up and down, her back. She quickly realized that she was still laying on top of Dave, she had somehow gone all night, without falling off.

"Morning." Dave stated with a little smile.

"Morning." Mindy replied as she looked up at him.

"How'd you sleep?" Dave asked as Mindy peeled herself off of him.

"That was probably the most relaxing night of sleep I've ever had." She replied as she kissed him.

"God... You look so beautiful..." Dave complimented as she pulled away from the kiss.

Mindy stared at him, for a moment. The lights were off, and because the warehouse didn't have any windows, it was pitch black in their room. It was pretty difficult to see, she could only barely make out his face.

"Is that your way of asking for a quickie?" Mindy asked with a grin.

"Nope, just an observation." Dave replied as he kissed her again.

Mindy rolled off of him and sat up, she reached over to turn on the lamp, that sat on the nightstand next to the bed. As a dim glow, lit up the room she turned to analyze Dave, her biggest worry was that he didn't sleep because of the nightmares.

Surprisingly, Dave looked rested. He still had a worn and tired appearance about him, and like always he looked older then he really was, but he did look rested.

"Did you sleep well?" Mindy asked as she finished her analysis.

"Woke up a few times, but other than that, I pretty much had a good nights sleep." Dave replied as he stood and stretched.

"No nightmares?" She asked with a little worry.

"Only one, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the others." Dave replied as he turned to look at her.

"What was it about?" Mindy asked, as she started to stretch as well.

"I was riding my bike home, and when I rounded the corner onto my street, I found a lion, waiting there. So I got off my bike, hoisted it over my head, and threw it at the lion. I then proceeded to run home. I got through my front door and closed it behind me. I stood there for a moment and then for some reason I had an overwhelming, urge to get my bike back, so I opened the door and found the lion waiting, right outside my door with my bike in it's mouth. It then dropped my bike and ate me." Dave finished with a shudder.

"What the hell?" Mindy asked with a mixture of curiosity, and confusion.

"I don't know, it was weird." Dave replied as he picked his clothes up off the floor.

"That is weird." Mindy stated as she picked up her clothes and started to put them on.

"You wanna shower?" Dave asked as he pulled his pants on.

"Sure... I'll grab us a fresh set of clothes." Mindy stated as she pulled on her panties, and looked over at the clock. It was 6:30 in the morning.

She started to put her bra on when she noticed Dave staring at her. "What?"

"Nothin'" Dave replied a wide smile on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" Mindy asked as she looked down at herself, a confused look plastered on her face.

"Those have got to be the cutest pink panties I have ever seen." Dave stated with a giggle.

Mindy stared at him for a second, before she felt her cheeks turn red.

"Oh... Did I embarrass you?" Dave asked with another giggle.

"Fuck you, Dave." Mindy growled as she turned her back on him and finished putting her clothes on. All the while she had to wonder why it was such a turn-on to have him admire her in her underwear. I mean, he had already seen her completely naked, so why was it so erotic to think of him checking her out in her underwear?

Mindy finished getting dressed and they walked out to the nearest bathroom. The two quickly stripped back out of their clothes and hopped in. The two spent about twenty minutes washing themselves, and each other. Afterwords they dressed and went to the kitchen.

The two quickly ate breakfast and then headed for the training room.

"You ready for some more lessons?" Mindy asked as she picked up two training swords and threw them too Dave.

"Yep... show me what you've got." Dave stated as he caught them, and entered into a defensive stance.

Mindy picked up her Bo staff, and walked up in front of him. She quickly analyzed his stance, and then lashed out.

The two practiced fighting for what had too be a few hours, by the time, Mindy heard voices approaching from down the hallway, it was almost 8:45 when Marty and Duncan walked in.

"Duncan... you're here early." Mindy stated, with a smile. As Dave's focus shifted to Marty and Duncan, Mindy quickly delivered a spin kick to the chest and knocked him over.

"You should probably pay attention to what you're doing?" Duncan stated with a smile, as he and Marty stopped at the edge of the training mat.

"You alright?" Mindy asked as she watched Dave writhe around on the floor.

"I think you broke my sternum." Dave whined as he got to his feet.

"Don't be a baby Dave." Mindy said as she rolled her eyes.

"So what are you doing here?" Dave asked as he walked over to Marty and Duncan.

"I'm an early riser, and you didn't give a specific time, so I figured I'd stop by." Duncan replied with a smile.

"Ahh.. sorry about that." Dave stated, as he scratched his head.

"No problem, I prefer to be early, rather than late." Duncan stated keeping his smile.

"Well I guess I can call the others, and we can get started." Mindy offered.

"Go ahead and call them. Me and Marty should head over to Katie's hotel and help her pack her stuff." Dave stated.

"You need some help?" Mindy asked.

"No... I'll call Todd and get him too help, you can stay here and get a beat on Duncan's skills." Dave replied as he nodded to Marty.

Marty nodded in reply and the two headed for the door.

"Well... you ready to show we what you've got?" Mindy asked, with a grin.

"Sure." He replied.

"Okay... so what are some of you skills?" Mindy asked as the two walked toward the armory.

"Well... besides being an accomplished marksman, I have been trained to utilized high-end CQC tactics, as well as the operation and handling, of a multitude of explosive devices. I have have spent a great deal of time, honing my skills in surveillance and counter-surveillance. I've also been highly trained in vehicle handling." Duncan stated, trying his hardest to sound modest.

"Wow." Mindy stated with a huge grin.

"I do believe the movie 'Shooter' said it best. ' the army spent a lot of time and money teaching me how not to die, they did so, right after they finished teaching me how to kill people.'" Duncan replied, with a bit of pride.

They reached the armory and walked over to the shooting range. The armory came equipped with a shooting range, the shooting range extended almost two hundred and fifty feet.

"Okay, pick a rifle and show me what you've got." Mindy stated as she hung up a target.

"Very well." Duncan stated as he wandered over and picked up the M110 that he was admiring yesterday. He loaded the gun and took up aim.

Mindy watched the target drift back to the very end of the range. After a second Duncan, exhaled slightly and fired off a round, after a moment he did it again, then again, then seven more times. After he emptied the clip, Mindy hit the return button.

As the target returned, Mindy looked at it, it was one of those shooting targets that detailed a human body, Duncan had managed to hit, in both the eyes, once in the middle of the forehead, once in the heart, one in both the lungs, one in the throat, one in the stomach, and two in the groin.

"Damn!" Was all Mindy could say.

"I know." Duncan replied, boastfully.

"I can't wait to get you out on the streets." Mindy stated with a grin.

"Looking forward to it darling." Duncan replied, as he admired the target.

It was at this point the Mindy began to get excited at the prospect of what new members could bring to the superhero field. She was sure that things we're going to get a lot more interesting, as new member began joining.

_So I'm finished with this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed how long I made it, and I would like to ask you guys about what you think potential hero names for Katie, Duncan, Dominic, and Marcus, should be. Costume appearances are also appreciated. I would like to hear what you guys think. I love creating new contents but when it comes to designing names and costumes, I find it really hard to thinks up stuff right off the bat, so if any of you have any suggestions please feel free to review or pm me. Also DOCTOR GRAVITY DOESN"T HAVE A REAL NAME, so if you would like to offer up some suggestions, or you simply want me to leave him nameless, let me know. Thanks._


	17. Chapter 17

_Okay guys, here is chapter 17 I'm sorry it took so long but I came down with a bad case of 'who gives a fuck' , I want to thank everyone who helped with names, **thejokersbrother, MMPRFansince93, The Darrker, and Oomizoomi. ** I would also like to thank **thejokersbrother,** again for helping out with costumes and weapons for the new characters. You guys really helped me out, and I want you to know that it means a lot. As always reviews are appreciated and know that I will be asking for assistance again, when new characters come around. I will be starting my new job soon and I just got GTA 5 so my free time will be significantly slashed. I hope you can forgive the slower update time, I've come down with a serious case of writers cramp, and it usually hinders me from typing. I will try and make this chapter nice and long as well, but we'll just have to see, please let me know what you think and enjoy!_

_**V2:** Okay so, I got only about 1000 words into this and I had to leave for a work thing, and I have to apologize beforehand if this chapter isn't really up to par, and if it's mostly exposition. I just had the most upsetting day of my freaking life, and I really can't focus. This is the fourth DAMN time I have been forgotten. Look I won't bore you with the details let me just say that me, and about nine other people all sat in a huge room for over an hour, wondering where in the hell the person who was running the training session was. And in the end, we called up our work and they told us to go to the store, so we did. And do you know what they told us when we got there? THE LADY WAS ONE ROOM OVER! She was teaching about thirty other people, not twenty feet from where the ten of us sat for like an hour. There was no sign telling us where to go, there was no teacher waiting in the hall way, there was nothing. I still can't believe it. So this chapter is going to be short, and I apologize up front, and I promise to write another one soon, I'm just way to pissed to get into any real emotional scenes._

_(as a side note, all the characters told each other their names in the previous chapter so, I'm just gonna go ahead and start using the new Doc gravity name: DONALD.)_

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 17.

"Alright. I think that's the last of it." Dave stated, as he set down the last box of Katie's stuff.

"Thanks you guys. I really appreciate the help." Katie stated as she looked around her new home.

"It may not be much, but at least it's cozy, and at least you'll be in good company." Marty said with a smile.

"You didn't really bring a lot of stuff. I mean we only packed what, nine boxes?" Todd asked as he leaned against the door frame.

"Well it's not like I feel safe around my house anymore. I can't even walk inside to pack more stuff, without feeling like I'm being watched." Katie replied as she started to look through the boxes.

"You can feel safe here. No one knows where we are." Dave stated, sympathetically.

"Yeah. It's safe, stocked, and as long as your not bothered by the occasional moaning coming from Dave and Mindy's room, it can be down right homy." Marty chided with a huge grin.

Dave's eyes quickly shot to Marty. "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Todd and Katie just stared wide eyed at Dave.

"Oh, don't be coy, Dave. They were going to figure it out sooner or later. Besides you share a room with her. Only an idiot would think the two of you were doing something, other then fucking in there." Marty prodded once again, keeping his grin.

"You and Hit Girl?" Todd asked, a mixture of amazement and jealousy, evident on his face.

"So I guess, neither one of us was faithful." Katie stated with a bemused look on her face.

"Okay first, Suck It, Todd. Secondly, I wasn't dating her when it was you and me, we were just crime fighting partners back then. Like I told you when it happened, it was just superhero stuff." Dave replied defensively.

"Right." Katie stated sarcastically.

"God Dave! Why would you lie to the poor girl like that?" Marty asked, a conniving look on his face.

"I'm not lying! Shut the fuck up Marty!" Dave growled.

"I mean I'm just saying. Technically, you and Mindy aren't dating." Marty replied, keeping his look.

"The fuck are you talking about?" Dave asked, confused.

"Well... have you been on a single date?" Marty asked, with a piercing stare.

Dave stared at him for a second before he realized what was happening. "Okay so we haven't actually been on any dates. Whats the big deal?"

"The big deal, is that you've managed to start banging a chick and you haven't even had to take her on a single date. I mean, do you even realize how fucking rare this is?" Marty stated with an amused smirk.

"God you're a dick." Dave stated shaking his head.

"...and whats funnier is that you don't even defend her." Marty stated keeping his smirk.

"Hey! Theirs a good reason for that! If she finds out that I've been protecting her behind her back... she'll kill me!" Dave finished with a grin.

Dave and Marty just shared a laugh, as Todd and Katie stared at them, a slight look of confusion on their faces.

"Give it a week... you'll get whats so funny, then." Dave stated as he noticed their confusion.

"I still can't believe that you're banging a fifteen year old." Katie stated, shaking her head.

"Yeah well... she came on to me, first. Oh... and by the way Katie, just so we can get this outta the way, Mindy doesn't have a problem with my 'baton'." Dave chided in a mocking tone, as he turned to leave.

Katie stood their for a second before flipping him off.

"This seems like it's going to get interesting." Todd stated to Marty.

"Hey... you should be thanking god, that Katie is here. With her here, Dave has someone else to berate that isn't you." Marty stated with a smirk.

Todd just hung his head in defeat as he, Marty and Katie walked out the door.

The three of them followed Dave to the training room. They walked in just in time to see, Mindy flip Dominic onto his back.

"Never underestimate the size of your opponent. When it comes to flipping, it's all about leverage." Mindy chided with a smile.

"I think, she tore my sack..." Dominic whined into the floor mat.

"That's exactly how I felt, chap." Duncan stated as he dabbed a cloth to his lip.

Dave could see that he was nursing a split lip.

"Tiny fucking terror, is what she is." Dominic stated as he rolled onto his back, and stared at the ceiling.

"This is what you get for underestimating me." Mindy chided with a grin.

"Remember to stay off your back, when you're out on the streets, otherwise you're going to end up somebodies bitch." Mindy stated as she walked over to help Dominic up.

"My god, I swear my drill instructor said the same bloody thing." Duncan stated with a look of sudden realization.

"Yeah well, don't spend to much time laying on the mat, otherwise Mindy will stomp a mud hole in your ass." Dave stated with a chuckle.

At that, Dominic quickly shot to his feet, before Mindy had a chance to help him up.

"Welcome back." Mindy stated with a smile.

"Hey... did I miss anything good?" Dave asked as the whole group gathered around the mat.

"Not much, Duncan showed me what an amazing shot he was, so to stop him from getting a giant head, I had to lay him out." Mindy replied, as she looked over at Duncan.

He replied by rolling his eyes.

"I see that didn't take long." Marcus stated as he walked into the room.

"Nope. Katie didn't have much stuff." Marty replied.

"Alright, daylight is upon us. I do believe it's time to focus on superhero, stuff." Mindy stated with authority.

"Like what?" Todd asked sheepishly.

"Like coming up with names for these fucking guys... and figuring out how to arm you guys." Mindy replied.

"Language..." Marcus stated in a serious tone.

"Are you serious?" Mindy whined as she turned to look at him.

"I'm fine with Hit Girl using that kind of language, but whenever you're not in costume, I want you to act a little more respectful to others." Marcus stated, plainly.

"Fine." Mindy whined in defeat as she turned back to the rest of the group.

"Hey guys." Doc Gravity stated, as he walked in.

"Hey Donald." Dave replied with a smile.

"Just get here?" Mindy asked.

"Yeah... traffic was insane." Donald replied with a smile.

This was one of the only times Dave had ever seen Doctor Gravity out of costume, seeing how normal they all looked, really made Dave envious of their freedom. With the exception of Katie, and maybe Todd, the others could basically go wherever they wanted. They were free to walk around outside, without hiding who they really were.

"Okay... let's work on names." Dave said clapping his hands together.

"Who wants to go first?" Marty asked with a grin.

"I'll go first." Katie stated, after a moment of silence.

"Twat blocker." Mindy stated with a smile.

"Come on Mindy." Dave stated as most of the group burst into laughter. Even Marcus cracked a smile at that witty remark.

"Alright, being serious now. What can we call you." Mindy stated as she began to analyze Katie.

"Dammit! All the names that spring to mind, are offensive." Mindy whined as she threw her arms up.

"I got it!" Marty stated as he snapped his fingers. "Madam Justice."

"I like it..." Katie stated with a smile.

"Yeah, it's tough, but also formal, and regal." Duncan stated with a approving nod.

"Well... if you like it then that's your new name." Mindy stated with a shrug.

"Madam Justice." Katie repeated to herself a few time.

"Okay, who's next?" Dave stated with a chuckle.

"Okay... hit me with your best shot." Dominic said as he walked around the room like a wrestler, his arms up in the air, inviting one of them to take a shot at him.

"El Drogas." Duncan stated with a smirk.

"What does that mean?" Mindy asked as she cocked her head.

"The Drug." Dominic stated with an approving nod.

"The Drug... El Drogas... Awesome!" Dave stated with a grin.

"That's definitely, going to be a name to remember." Marty boasted, for him.

"Two awesome names so far... Let's see what we can come up with, for our European friend." Donald stated with a smile.

"I think we all know what we're going to call him." Mindy stated with a smirk.

"Yep." Dave replied with a chuckle.

"Alright on three." Marty said with a grin. "One. Two. Three."

"BULLSEYE." The three of them stated at once.

"I should have bet money on that one." Duncan stated shaking his head, with a laugh.

"I'll stick with it." Duncan said with a laugh, as he sat down.

"You were pretty quick to cave. You sure you don't want something else?" Dave asked with a grin.

"Nope, I had that nickname back in the army. It seems appropriate." Duncan replied after a moment.

"Alright that leaves... Marcus." Mindy stated with a smirk.

Marcus just rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Okay so what are we going to call you?" Mindy continued with a grin.

"You watch yourself." Marcus warned.

"I've got it!" Dave stated, with a proud look on his face.

"Well?" Mindy asked after a dramatic pause.

"The Iron Lawman." Dave stated.

"I. Fucking. LOVE IT!" Mindy nearly shouted.

"I knew you would." Dave boasted.

"Well? What do you think?" Dave asked the group.

"Luv it." Marty stated plainly.

"Sounds cool. Alright so, now that we have superhero names down, we need to focus on costumes." Marty announced with a whimsical grin on his face.

"Wait! Before we get too that we need to focus on weapons." Mindy countered.

"Oh yeah, the fun begins." Dominic stated as he rubbed his hands together.

"Yeah, working on weapons would be nice, especially since Todd doesn't even have a weapon." Marty chided.

"I bet you all one-hundred thousand dollars, that Duncan gets a sniper rifle." Dominic giggled.

"Oh definitely." Mindy said as she recalled his earlier practice shots.

While everyone was talking, Dave walked over to a bulletproof vest that was hanging on the wall, he picked it up and quickly left the room. After a moment, he returned with a gun.

He walked in and threw the vest to Todd.

Mindy noticed the gun in his hand and adopted a wide grin.

"Whats this for?" Todd asked.

"You might want to put that on. He's going to shoot you." Marty stated with a laugh.

"What?" Todd asked with a horrified look, as he quickly put the vest on.

"I have been wanting to do this for a long time." Dave stated with a sadistic grin.

"We are sooo... making a tradition outta this." Mindy giggled.

"Okay so what, does that thing have like rubber bullets in it, or something?" Todd asked with a little fear evident in his voice.

"Sure... let's go with that." Dave stated sarcastically.

"Whatever you do, just don't move." Mindy explained.

"What?" Todd asked as Dave pulled the trigger.

The shot took Todd off his feet and he flew a few feet back. He landed with a thud.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Todd howled.

"That was freaking awesome!" Katie stated with a little disbelief.

"Enjoy it while you can. The second your vag is healed, your next." Mindy stated with a smirk.

"That hurt like you wouldn't believe." Todd whined as he writhed around on the floor.

"Okay. Who's next?" Dave asked with a laugh.

"Not it!" Duncan stated.

"Not it!" Donald replied at the same time.

"Your it!" Duncan said with a laugh, as he pointed at Dominic.

"What the hell just happened?" Dominic asked, with a bewildered look on his face.

"Did you two rehearse that?" Katie asked with a look of surprise.

"No. We're just that good." Donald said with a smile.

"Wow." Dominic whined as he walked over to pick Todd up off the ground.

"You suck!" Todd shouted at Dave as he tore the vest off.

"Don't be a bitch Todd. We all had to do it." Marty cut in.

"That doesn't change the fact that, that sucked!" Todd whined.

"For the love of god, if you stop whining, I'll buy you a big ol' pretzel." Mindy stated, as she rolled her eyes.

"You watch Family Guy?" Donald asked with a curious look.

"Yes!" Mindy stated quickly, a serious look plastered on her face.

The group members laughed, as they proceeded to initiate the rest of the group.

A few minutes after the final shot rang out through the corridors of the warehouse, the group found their way to the living room.

"That sucked so hard!" Dominic whined as he rubbed his chest.

"Yeah well, now you won't be afraid when some asshole pulls a gun on you." Mindy stated.

"Hey, Assholes have been pulling guns on me, for about six years now, I can handle guns." Dominic replied, his pride slightly wounded.

"Don't complain, everyone here had too do it." Mindy stated with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, don't complain. You guys have no idea. She shot me in the back with a 44. magnum." Dave complained.

"...and look at you now. You're a complete bad-ass... A thank you will suffice." Mindy finished in a mocking tone.

"God." Katie said to herself as she watched the two bicker.

"Okay so... the day is young, and we've got some shit to do. But before we get to any of that, I think theirs some stuff we should tell you guys." Dave stated as he looked over at Mindy.

"You sure you wanna do this?" Mindy asked.

"Teamwork is built on trust, might as well start building it now." Dave replied as he focused his attention on the rest of the group.

"Okay guys... I believe that if we're going to have any chance of beating Chris and stopping the criminals of this city, we're going to need to trust each other. I'm going to trust you guys with the truth. A week or two after New Years, a few congressman are going to go before the senate and propose a bill. This bill is going to allow, groups of people, to legally put on costumes and go out to fight crime..."

"Seriously?" Todd asked.

Dominic, Donald, and Duncan just listened intently, while Katie shifted in her seat.

"Yeah, seriously. We have been asked to form the first crime fighting group. The people that asked us to do this, have stated in no unclear terms, that as long as we push the criminals out of New York, they could give two shits about what we do. All they ask for is documentation of our actions. As long as we provide that, they'll stay out of our way and provide us with information." Dave explained, in a serious tone.

"A few days after New Years, some really bad motherfuckers are going to start making a move on the city. These are the same guys that have been funding and supplying Chris' rampage through the city. Chris is a psychopath, who thinks he's running the show, but in reality, he just an idiot, who's being used by some of the worst criminals organizations on the planet." Mindy added.

"Everything that's been happening to the city, has been part of their plan. The attack on the prison, wasn't to cause chaos, it was a hit. Against the leader of the D'Amico, family. Now those guys belong to Chris, and so does their information network." Dave continued to explain.

"Which means that these criminal groups, also have access to this information network." Dominic stated, a serious look on his face.

"Make no mistake, this city is going to turn into a war zone, and we're the assholes that have been tasked to bring order." Dave said with a huff.

"Wait, if the government already knows that this stuff is going to happen then why aren't they doing something about it?" Katie asked, a little disbelief evident in her voice.

"Okay... pretend the city is a sandcastle..." Mindy started to explain.

"Alright." Katie replied with a confused look.

"This sandcastle is populated by million of ants, they're the citizens. The bad guys are also ants, while the government is a giant hand, and the only tool it has to fight the bad guys, is a hammer. Try to imagine the devastation that would occur if they used that hammer to get rid of the bad guys." Mindy finished with her analogy.

"Oh." Katie replied, as realization struck her.

"So we're the surgical equipment?" Duncan stated with a sigh.

"Basically..." Mindy replied with a nod.

"The criminals have a unique advantage, all they have to do, to avoid getting caught, is not act like criminals. These criminals are from every walk of life, and this is one of the most populated cities on the planet. The criminals will blend right in." Marcus added.

"Just like insurgents." Duncan stated as he let out a sigh.

"We have the same advantage. We go out in costume, and we only take off the costume when we get back here. The bad guys never learn who we are, and we never become targets. That's what the costumes are for." Dave explained.

"It makes sense." Dominic said after a moment of thought.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I figured if this is going to work it's best that we be honest with each other." Dave stated is a sincere tone.

"Kinda knew something was up. This was all to well funded for it not to be a government job." Duncan stated with a reassuring smile.

"So... we've got a class A psychopath, running around out there with a scorched earth policy in mind for the city. We have high-end criminal organizations about to descend on the city, and we've got only a few days to prepare. This sounds like it's going to be a helluva lot fun!" Dominic added with a smile.

"So, whats the plan?" Duncan asked after a moment. "How do we stop them?"

"First, we need numbers. Theirs only a handful of us now, and that's not going to be enough to stem the tide. So we focus on inspiration, we start off flashy, draw as much attention to our cause as we can. I have no doubt that our friends in the government, will be listening in on every word we say, and I'm also sure that they'll be keeping tabs on every member of the group, keeping and eye out for double agents. We need to inspire people, get them to join our cause." Mindy explained, she had obviously been thinking a lot about this.

"I agree. We should also start taking new recruits to one of the safe houses, or we should set up a new one, that way, this place remains a secret, until we know we can trust them." Dave added.

"Good plan. Secrecy is our best option right now." Duncan stated with a nod to show his agreement.

"Right. We need to focus on re-building our reputation with the city. Ever since Chris began running amok, the city has started to see us as a nuisance, we need to convince them otherwise." Mindy added with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Your defense of the prison was a huge leap forward, but we still have a long way to go, before we fix what Chris had broken." Donald said with a small amount of admiration evident in his voice.

"You're right. We do have a lot of work..." Dave stated as he adopted a faraway look.

"If all of you are ready, I think it's time we start working on weapons and costumes." Mindy said after a moment.

The group sat for a second in silence, most of them were thinking about the challenge that had been place before them. After a moment Dave finally stood, he looked around at all of them. Mindy couldn't help but notice as she looked at him, how strong he appeared. He had an air about him, he seemed almost a peace, almost like he was in another place. She really wanted to ask him about what he was thinking about, but in the end she just held her tongue and stood with the others and walked to the armory. Each person was deep in thought as they walked, the weight of their new mission, pressing heavily upon them...

_Okay so. I just sort of stopped there because it felt right. I will start up basically right where I left off, when I right the next chapter. I promise it will be soon, I don't know when. Please forgive the slightly below average chapter, like I said at the beginning I was not really up for something long and emotional. And I hope you can forgive. Let me know if you have any suggestions for new weapons for Doc Gravity and thanks again to everyone who helped with names, weapons and costumes._


	18. Chapter 18

_Okay so... moving on to chapter 18, I finally got my whole job thing sorted out, and my class is on Monday. I don't know how long after that, I'll be starting my new jobs, so just bare with me. Here's chapter 18, let me know what you think, I love reading reviews, I love them so much. I have to thank thejokersbrother, once again for all the weapons suggestions, I used most of them and only changed or added a few things but otherwise I used his list exactly so, thank you very much for the variety._

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 18

Mindy's mind, was replaying the events of last night, as she paced up and down the shooting range. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered how wonderful it all felt, the feeling of him inside of her, the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, the taste of his lips as they kissed, it was all a little overwhelming for the young girl.

"Jesus Christ, Todd." Marty whined, as he looked over at him.

Most of the group was practicing on the firing range while Dave and Marcus sat off in the corner, discussing costumes. Mindy had spent the last twenty minutes pacing up and down the line, watching them practice. Giving tips where she could, and showing Todd and Katie, how to shoot.

"What did I do?" Todd whined in reply as he looked over.

"I can see your shots hitting the concrete, almost ten feet from the target." Marty stated with a shake of his head.

"Come on I've never held a gun in my life, besides your not doing a whole lot better." Todd spouted in reply.

"At least I'm hitting the target." Marty stated proudly.

"These are real bullets, right?" Katie interjected.

"Um... yeah." Marty replied after a moment.

"Why do you ask?" Todd asked after he gave Marty a look.

"I ask because, if you two don't stop bitching, I'm going to shoot you." Katie replied angrily.

"Hail to the almighty V." Mindy stated with a grin as she walked by.

Both Todd and Marty went back too shooting, each one grumbling something under their breath.

"I thought I'd lighten the mood a little bit, so I made you all a smiley face." Duncan stated with a smile as he pulled his target off the hook and showed it to them. He had in fact blown a smiley face into the targets head.

"I cannot wait to see you do that to a real criminal." Mindy said with a smile.

"I don't think I'm going to need this many bullets, darling." Duncan stated as he examined the target.

"Yeah, yeah." Mindy said keeping her smile as she walked over to Dominic. "How are you doing?"

"Fine... It's just been a while since I've held a gun." Dominic replied as he raised the handgun again, and fired of a few more shots.

Mindy just gave him a nod and wandered over to Dave and Marcus. The two of them were working on costumes, both being huge fans of comics they had, a good feel for bad-ass costumes.

"So how we doing, guys?" Mindy asked as she reached them.

"We're pretty much just down too, Katie." Dave stated as the two of them looked up at her.

"Cool, what were you thinking for her?" Mindy asked as she sat next to them.

"We've been trying to brainstorm, some superhero costumes that we could modify, but so far nothing." Dave stated, with a little frustration.

"We're trying to make everyone's costumes, fit their role, and name." Marcus said as he picked up a peace of paper, that they had been writing ideas on.

"Yeah, like for Duncan, We're going with and outfit like this..." Dave stated as he spun his laptop around and showed her a picture of a guy dressed like a soldier but instead of a helmet he had a black face mask with a skull on it.

"Cool." Mindy stated with a nod.

"Yeah, this is Ghost from Call of Duty, he's basically what we went off of for Duncan." Dave said with a proud nod.

"The only changes we're going to make, is that the whole outfit will be black, and he'll have on a helmet with a skull face mask, instead of just the face mask." Marcus explained.

"Cool. Giving him that real bad-ass look. I like it." Mindy stated as she nodded approvingly.

"Yeah... we kinda want to make the costumes out to fit they're roles. Like Marcus said earlier. Because he's a sniper, and an ex soldiers, I think he should look like a soldier. While when it comes to Dominic, he's ex DEA, so instead of dressing him like and agent, we decided to focus more on his name, El Drogas. For him we went with a dark blue soldier get-up, with dark blue and black face paint. He's also gonna have on a headband like Snake from Metal Gear Solid." Dave explained.

"Sweet!" Mindy praised, as she pictured the two men in her mind.

"See... the two of them strike me as looking like soldiers out there. But Katie strikes me as someone who'd look more like, I don't know Super-girl, or Catwoman. But neither one of those really fits." Dave added as he leaned back in his chair

"What about Black Widow?" Mindy asked after a moment.

Dave and Marcus both looked at each other, as Dave pulled up some pictures of Black Widow.

"Yeah, Yeah. We can work with that." Marcus stated as inspiration struck.

"We can add a little pink to act as the trim." Dave said as they looked at a picture

"Yeah give her a black wig, as well as pink and black face paint." Marcus stated with a nod.

"Thanks so much!" Dave beamed as he started to write down the ideas.

"So that's everyone?" Mindy asked with a proud grin.

"Yep. We're going to give Todd and Donald some body armor to go with they're costumes and I'm going to have Todd also wear some weighted gloves." Dave answered as he looked over their designs.

"What about Marcus? You just gonna wear the same thing as you did during the prison break?" Mindy asked.

"Yep. Just going to add a black duster coat to it." Marcus stated.

"Cool, like a wild west sheriff!" Mindy said as she pictured it.

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Dave said with a laugh.

"Sweet so... now that costumes are out of the way, are we ready to talk about weapons?" Mindy asked as she clapped her hands together.

"Sure..." Dave said as he scooted next to her to show her the lap top.

Mindy stepped away for a second to put Duncan in charge of the shooting training, before returning and getting to work, on weapons.

* * *

One hour later-

After some time the three of them finally finished, and called the others over too them.

They explained to them what they came up with for their costumes.

"So... anybody have any complaints or questions?" Mindy stated when they finished explaining.

The group members shook their heads 'no'.

"Good." Mindy said with a smile as Dave stood in front of the group.

"Okay guys, we've come up with a list of weapons that we think would fit you guys." Dave said as the group turned their attention to him.

"Marty, we're going to keep training you with the m1911, we're also going to add a 'Silver Shadow Gilboa 9mm' sub-machine gun to your arsenal. We're also going to switch out your make-shift shield for a police tactical shield, and as a melee weapon, I was thinking a tactical Tomahawk, would fit perfectly." Mindy explained with a bit of glee.

"Sweet! I like the sound of it." Marty said with a nod. Truth be told he would have been fine with whatever they chose to give him.

"For, Duncan, we have a 'Glock 17' handgun a 'M14 Ebr' sniper rifle a 'Recon One' combat knife, and we're also gonna give you some special shoe knives, and for our excellent marksman, we're also rounding you off with a 'Heckler & Koch AG36 grenade launcher'" Dave explained with a smirk.

"That's a lot of fire power you're putting in my hands." Duncan commented with a knowing smile.

"You're the guy that's less likely to miss." Dave replied, keeping his grin.

"Moving on too, Dominic, we have a 'SIG Sauer Pro handgun', a 'Heckler & Koch UMP' machine gun a 'Saiga-12' shotgun and for a melee weapon I was thinking a Bowie knife." Mindy said as she addressed Dominic.

"Cool, staying right up in the fight, just where I like it." Dominic stated in a 'tough guy', sounding voice.

"Next we have Marcus, who will be using, an 'M4 Carbine', a 'Benelli' Shotgun, a 'Beretta 92' handgun, two Batons, He'll also come with two tasers and a Combat knife." Mindy said with a sigh as she imagined all the cool shit she could teach the group about fighting.

"Moving on too Donald, You've going to get, a 'SIG Sauer P226' handgun, a 'Bushmaster M4 Type Carbine', as well as a Tactical Hammer and Axe, to go with your bat." Dave started to explain as he notice Mindy drift off into thought.

"Sounds good to me. I'm ready and eager to get back out there." Donald stated as he rubbed his hands together anxiously.

"For you, Katie, we have two 'Heckler & Koch UCP' handguns..." Dave started to explain.

"Two guns, just like Black Widow?" Katie said with an understanding nod.

"Yep. You'll also have a 'Calico M950' semi-automatic pistol. I'm also going to give you some brass knuckles, and because you're a girl, and much more flexible then the rest of us guys, Mindy's going to teach you how to use chain Kama." Dave explained to her.

"What's that?" Katie asked.

"It's two small scythe like weapons that are connected by a chain. They're really hard to master, but I bet once you get it down you'll be as much of a beast, as Mindy is." Dave said with a smile.

"She wished she could be as beast as me." Mindy stated, defensively.

"So you're finally back. Go ahead and finish up." Dave said, shaking his head.

"Okay, so... for you, Todd, we have a 'Jericho 94' handgun, an 'SA80' machine gun, I was thinking of giving you the sick stick to play around with, and finally, a baseball bat with nails to round out you arsenal." Mindy explained.

"Cool, now I'm really going to be an 'Asskicker'" Todd stated with an approving nod,

"I will give to twenty bucks if you can tell me what two out of the four things she just said, are." Dave said a little annoyed.

"What?" Todd asked confused.

"Exactly." Dave said shaking his head.

"Okay so... that's it for weapons. Let's get your weapons gathered together and show you what you'll be playing with." Mindy said after a moment.

The group wandered over to the middle table as Mindy and Dave gathered the weapons. "Todd, remind me to show you how to make a nail bat, later." Dave said as they were gathering weapons.

"Right." Todd said with a nod as Dave set a machine gun and a pistol in front of him.

After a few moments Mindy and Dave finished setting everyone's weapons in front of them.

"Alright guys, listen and listen good. These weapons are yours. You're going to be the ones to use them, to clean them, to fix them, and you're going to be the one to lose out, if anything happens to them. Before you learn how to use these weapons, I'm going to drill it into your head, on how to take care of them. I'm going to teach you how to disassemble and re-assemble, I'm going to teach you how to clean and lubricate your guns, I'm going to teach you everything you need to know about what the weapon does, what it's properties are, and everything, that's needed to ensure you and your weapon have a long and healthy relationship together." Mindy stated to the group, Dave couldn't help but smile at how serious she sounded.

"Well said." Duncan stated, with a nod, as he stood at ease.

"As a former soldier, I expect you to help teach the rest the group about proper weapon, maintenance." Mindy said.

"Very well." Duncan said plainly.

"The guns are empty right now, pick 'em up and get a feel for them." Dave instructed.

As most of the group members began doing so Mindy picked up a few instruction manuals and handed them to Duncan, she wanted him to read over them and then run through, some quick tests. She wanted to make sure his weapon maintenance, skills were up to par with her expectations.

The group members spent a great deal of time sitting around the armory as Mindy and Duncan began to wander around from person to person showing them the hows and whats of their new arsenals. Dave sat off to the side, and practiced disassembling and reassembling his handgun, after a few practice runs, he disassembled it and cleaned it. Mindy had spent a lot of time drilling him on how to take care of a gun, so by now he had basically gotten it down, it still took him a lot of time to do it, but by now he didn't need supervision to get it right.

After he finished with his weapon, Dave went over to the computer and began hunting down everything that the group needed. He ordered Marty's new tactical shield, and then began hunting down everything they would need for costumes.

"This thing is pretty weird looking." Katie stated as she held her new 'Calico M950' in her hands.

"Yeah it is pretty strange looking, this little guy looks like a big handgun, but it's actually a sub-machine gun, it has a one hundred round magazine, and it loads up here at the top." Mindy explained as she pulled the magazine off to show her.

"Wow. One hundred? The bullets must be small." Katie said with a little disbelief.

"Yeah they are, but this guy isn't meant to pack a punch, he's meant to spray lead all over the damn place. He's accurate to about sixty meters so you aren't going to be popping any caps from long range, but your not meant to. With you, we're going to make you out like me, fast and agile. You and me are going to be like Dave, Todd, and Marty, We're going to be up in your face, kinda fighters. So you want something that works at close range." Mindy said, as she Katie began practicing how to reload the gun.

"Okay, I get it." Katie said as she finished reloading the gun.

"You do know which end the bullets come out of, right?" Mindy asked sarcastically, as she watched Katie fiddle with the gun.

"Yeah, I do." Katie replied with an annoyed look.

"Okay." Mindy stated as she adopted an innocent look.

Katie just gave her an annoyed look before returning to her examination.

The group continued to toy with their new weapons for about an hour, it was around 3:00 pm when they finally decided to all go out and explore the neighborhood. They wandered around the area exploring the handful of shops and apartment buildings, that were close by, the area that they were in was right on the edge of an industrial area so there was a lot of empty warehouses and factories around. The group stopped and picked up some food as they continued to explore, they had to do take-out because, Dave, Mindy, Marcus, and Marty couldn't be seen. Its was still the dead of winter and there was only three days until New Years so it was pretty cold outside. Strangely this winter hadn't brought much snow, there had only been about six inches in total, so it was shaping up to be a very mild winter.

They all ate as they walked, most of them were dressed in thick coats with hoods and hats, luckily, the fact that they were casually bullshitting with one another made it so that they didn't stick out. It was about an hour when they stopped outside a small department store.

"Let's stop here for a minute." Mindy said as she turned to walk in.

"Why?" Marty asked as he looked up at the store sign, wandering what she could possible need here.

"Because I need to pee, that's why." Mindy replied, in a stale tone.

"Oh." Marty replied kind of embarrassed.

"I'll go too." Katie said as she followed after.

"Hey... do you think that Katie has trouble... you know..." Todd asked Marty quietly.

"Well... maybe... I don't know." Marty replied, in a curious fashion.

As the two were thinking, Dave materialized behind them, and smacked the two upside the head.

"Ouch!" "What the hell was that for?" they asked as they turned to look at him.

"Idiots! Both of you!" Dave hissed as he shook his head.

"Jesus... when did you become the beacon of fucking morality?" Marty mumbled under his breath.

"You don't think... does Dave blame himself?" Todd asked in a whisper as Dave wandered away.

"Maybe..." Marty replied as he wondered if that was why Dave was so quick tempered now.

As Dave stood a few feet from the group, his face concealed by a hood. He just stared across the empty parking lot, of the store. As he was thinking to himself, he heard a faint, scream. Dave's body immediately shot around to look at the store, his instincts forcing him to check for his lover, but as he turned he saw that the group hadn't reacted, they were just standing huddled together, quietly talking to one another.

Dave turned back around and scanned the parking lot again, he focused his attention and was straining to listen for another scream. After a few moments of nothing, he began to think it was his imagination, when suddenly another faint scream, caught his ear. This time he could just barely pinpoint where it was coming from. His eyes shot to an alley between two buildings across the street.

The alley was about eighty yards away. It was across the parking lot and a street, but Dave was sure that that's where the scream came from. He started to slowly start walking towards it, he got about twenty feet when he heard another scream pierce the air, this one was a lot louder, loud enough for even the rest of the group to look up from their conversation.

As Dave heard the third scream he broke into a dead sprint. Just as Dave took off, Mindy and Katie walked out of the store.

"Where the hell is Dave going?" Todd asked the group, as they all focused their attention on their comrade that was sprinting across the parking lot.

"Dave!?" Mindy shouted, after he didn't turn to respond, she took off after him. "Shit!"

"Let's go!" Marty shouted at the rest of the group as they ran after her.

"Todd keep an eye on Katie." Marcus said as Katie began hobbling after the group as quickly as she could manage.

Todd ran to her side, and supported her, as they followed after the group, the best Katie could manage at this point was a quick hobble.

Dave was sprinting as fast as he could, he was across the parking lot before Mindy was even at the halfway mark, by this time he could clearly hear a struggle occurring across the street. The area was dead silent, most people were still hesitant about coming out of their homes, so that made any sound carry.

Dave was across the street and at the entrance to the alley in a flash. As he looked down the alley, it was as if time slowed down.

There were six people, three of them were dressed in costumes, cunts. Then there was a man, probably in his thirties being pinned to the ground, by the biggest cunt, then there were two woman, both being raped by the other two cunts. The act in itself made Dave's blood run cold, if there was one thing that he hated more than murderers, it was rapists. The act of hurting someone like that, was unforgivable in his eyes. Though there was something about this incident that set it apart, it wasn't the woman who was in her early thirties, pinned against a dumpster, as a cunt forced himself inside of her, it wasn't the man being forced to watch this horror unfold in front of him, no... what really set this incident apart from all the others was the third person, the other girl. She was on her stomach with a cunt raping her from behind, he had a blade pressed to the back of her neck, she was facing towards the older man, she had tears streaming down her face. This girl was younger then Mindy...

Dave exploded with rage as he charged towards the group, his hand instinctively shot to the machete that he kept on him at all times, he had it sheathed on the small of his back, under his coat. Dave drew the blade and drove it into the head of the cunt that was pinning, what had to be this girls father, to the ground.

Dave withdrew the blade from the cunts head as blood and brains spilled out of the hole, the cunt collapsed on the father as Dave charged forward. The other two cunts hadn't noticed him yet, the father, only now realized that they were in fact being rescued, the older woman was facing away from him, but the little girl's eyes were locked on him. Dave brought his arm back and he let his machete fly, it hit the cunt the was raping the older woman. The blade landed right in the small of this guys back, he let out an agonizing scream as he recoiled back, 'and out of' the woman.

Dave quickly focused his attention on the man that was raping the little girl, he witnessed the blade hit his buddy in the back, he turned to see where it came from, he wasn't quick enough however.

Just as the man turned to look at him, Dave dove towards him, he tackled the man off of the girl and the two rolled away from her.

Just as Dave tackled the man, Mindy and the others rounded the corner and witnessed the fight. Mindy burst into action, and charged toward the cunt with the knife sticking out of his back, as she slammed into him, she grabbed the handle of the machete and used her momentum to force it deeper into the guy.

"Shit! Help him!" Marcus shouted to Dominic and Marty as he ran toward the cowering family.

Dominic and Marty broke into a sprint towards Dave who was rolling around with the other cunt. The two were punching the shit out of each other, but Dave had the upper hand, he managed to pin the cunt down with one arm as he proceeded to beat him mercilessly with the other.

"Fucker!" Dave shouted as he kept punching.

Mindy twisted around, her hands still wrapped around the machete. It withdrew from the cunts body, as Mindy spun the blade around and drove it into the cunts chest. She heard Dave shout, her eyes out of habit shot to her lover. Her eyes widened slightly, as she witnessed Dave literally beating the life out of this cunt.

Marty and Dominic were quickly beside Dave, they grabbed him by the arms and pulled him, kicking and screaming off the cunt.

"Fucking Cunts! I'm going to kill every single one of you asshole!" Dave roared as they pulled him away.

"Take him out of here." Duncan ordered to the two of them as he walked over to Mindy.

Katie, Donald, and Marcus, were gathered around the family of three trying there best to comfort them, Todd quickly went to help with Dave.

Mindy and Duncan stood over the bleeding cunt, his face was pretty well fucked, and they could barely make out, pitiful sobbing. Mindy looked down at the guy, no sorrow or pity, evident in her gaze. "Would you like the honor?" She asked as she pulled out one a handgun she had hidden under her coat.

"Sure." Duncan stated, with zero emotion, as she handed him the gun.

He simply pointed it at the cunts head and pulled the trigger, he did it with zero hesitation, or emotion. Mindy didn't know at the time whether or not Duncan hated the man as much as she did, or if he was compassionate enough, to put him out of his misery.

He handed her gun back to her as they turned to walk over to the family.

"Katie, call 911." Mindy stated, plainly as she walked past the group, towards the entrance to the alley.

"Right!" Katie replied as she wiped a few stray tears from her eyes and pulled her phone out.

Mindy walked out of the alley and took a deep breath as she turned to see Dave sitting against a wall, Dominic, Todd, and Marty, standing around him. She could see blood dripping from his hand.

She walked over too them and squatted in front of him. He had the same far away look he had on his face that he had when, he learned about Todd's role in his fathers death. His face looked far away, but his eyes were on fire, the intensity of his stare was almost piercing.

All Mindy could do was stare at him, it was a few moments before Marcus stepped out of the alley.

"Dave." he said, drawing Dave's gaze.

"They want to talk to you." He said, after a moment.

Dave nodded and slowly rose to his feet, It took Mindy a moment to see the bloody knife laying on the ground. She looked over at Dave, her eyes widened as she saw the rather large bloody patch on his back.

"Shit!" Todd said as he too, noticed it.

"What... Damn!" Dominic stated with a look, as he turned to look as well.

All Marty could do was grimace at the sight.

Mindy was on her feet and at his side in a flash. "Dave... You're hurt."

"I'll be hurt later." He replied coldly as he walked into the alley.

Marcus' eyes went wide as he saw the blood dripping down Dave's back.

Mindy was glued to his side as, he approached the family. They were all huddled together on the ground, tears flowing from their eyes. Dave came to a halt as he stood over them. They all looked up at him, the youngest girl had a look of recognition on her face. "Thank you... so much." The father said as more tears flowed down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier." Dave replied with a mixture of sadness and shame in his voice.

Mindy had too do her best not to smack the shit out of him, she couldn't believe that he was doing it again, blaming himself. He had just saved this family and he was going to blame himself for not being here earlier?

She couldn't worry about Dave's mental state right now, she had to worry about the knife wound on his back. "Take off your damn coat!" She hissed as she grabbed his zipper and started to pull it down.

"Why?" He asked with a look of confusion.

"Because you've been stabbed you fucking idiot." Mindy hissed to him.

"Really?" He asked as she pulled off his coat. Mindy grimaced as she gazed at his wound. It was on his right shoulder blade. She looked at it closely, it was bleeding pretty profusely, but it didn't look like the stab had much power, the bone stopped it from cutting deeply.

"Fucking asshole... charging in like that..." Mindy stated as she pulled his shirt off, exposing his upper body to the elements, she quickly wrapped it under his arm and around his wound. She threw his jacket back to him, he slid it on, over one arm but let it hang off the other, Mindy leaned against his side to provide him warmth.

"You're The Fallen, and Hit Girl." The younger girl said, tears still freely flowing from her eyes.

"Yeah..." Mindy replied looking down at her, she must have been only twelve or thirteen.

"Thank you, for saving me..." The girl sputtered out as more tears burst forth.

Dave stepped forward, and knelt in front of her. After a second she looked at him.

"What happened to you... it wasn't your fault, it wasn't your moms or dads fault. It was their fault." Dave said as he motioned towards the corpse. "They're dead now, they can't hurt you or your parents anymore."

The young girl nodded to show that she understood.

"Look, can you tell me your name?" Dave asked, with a sad look.

"Rebecca... my names Rebecca." She sputtered in reply.

"Well Rebecca... I need you to do me a huge favor. I need you to be strong for your parents, it's going to be hard to move on... but I promise you if you can be strong for them... they'll be strong for you... and you'll all get through this." Dave explained, Mindy could see that he was holding back tears of his own.

The young girl, looked at him for a second before she reached out and hugged him, Mindy could barely hear her whisper, "I will." into his ear.

Dave placed a hand on her back, he held onto the young girl for a few moments, his eyes locked with her parents. They had a mixture of sorrow and pride in their eyes as they looked at their child. After a few moments Mindy heard sirens.

"We need to go Dave..." Mindy said as she reached out and touched his shoulder.

"Right..." Dave said a he pulled away from Rebecca.

Dave slowly got to his feet, as he stood he looked down at the young girl. "I promise... I will make this city safe again."

"Thank you..." Rebecca replied as she scooted back to her parents embrace. They both wrapped their arms around her, and squeezed her tightly. Both looked up at Dave one last time. Their eyes openly declaring their gratitude to the young man that stood before them.

The group wandered out of the alley and took up formation around Dave. He didn't have any face cover, and they didn't want to draw any attention.

Mindy looked back just in time to see, a Humvee, an ambulance, and two squad cars pull up to the alley.

The group quickly rounded the corner and made their way home. It took them about twenty minutes to get there. By the time that they arrived Dave was openly shivering, they walked into the living room, Mindy's eyes were quickly drawn to a bunch of medical supplies neatly laid out on the coffee table, in the middle of the room. She had to hide her smile as she quickly remembered who was watching.

"Sit down Dave... I need to stitch you up." Mindy said as she walked into the kitchen to grab a wooden chair.

"Where did this stuff come from?" Todd asked as he looked at the stuff on the table.

"Later..." Mindy hissed as she brought in the chair and set it in front of Dave.

"Sit." She commanded as she grabbed some alcohol and a first aid kit, off the table.

"Fine..." Dave said wearily as he sat down and took off his jacket and make-shift bandage.

Mindy quickly got to work on his back first, Duncan stepped forward and offered his assistance. He learned a few medical techniques, from his days in the army.

"Could you look at his hand?" She asked as she poured some alcohol onto Dave's wound.

Dave grimaced painfully, but other than the occasional twitch of pain, he was emotionless.

"Yep." Duncan replied as he knelt in front of Dave and lifted his hand.

After a few moments of examination, he set Dave's hand onto his leg and looked over at Mindy. "He's not got any broken bones, but the skin is all torn up."

"What did I tell you Dave? Never punch in the mouth... the human mouth is filthy." Mindy whined more to herself than the Dave.

Mindy finished stitching up his knife wound and began working on his hand. She ended up needing Duncan's help with that. They ended up using a lot of alcohol and stitching, after they finished stitching up the wounds, Mindy quickly bandaged them up.

"Dude that looked like it really hurt..." Todd stated with a grimace.

"I'll be fine." Dave said as Mindy finished with the bandages.

"Dammit, Dave..." Mindy whined, sadly.

Dave stood, and stared off for a second before he walked towards the bedrooms. "I'm done for today... I'll see you guys later..."

"Guys, I'm going to go check on him... if you wanna go work with your guns, or train in the training room, go ahead. I think we're done for the day... we'll meet up again tomorrow." Mindy said as she took out Dave's Machete, and handed it to Marty. "Can you put this with his stuff?"

"Yeah... you go make sure he's okay." Marty said as he took the blade.

"Later guys." Mindy said as she walked after Dave. She was vaguely aware of them saying their goodbyes to her, as she left.

Mindy walked silently down the halls, she stopped when she reached their room. She stood outside of it, she was vaguely aware of soft crying coming from inside. Mindy placed her head against the door, she was trying her hardest not to burst in there and wrap her arms around him.

After a moment she couldn't take his whimpering anymore, and walked in, she found Dave sitting at the base of the bed, his head buried in his hands.

Mindy quietly closed the door and sat next to him. Dave pulled his head up and looked at her, his face was red, and he was obviously in a lot of pain.

Mindy looked at him sadly before staring off. She sat in silence for a few moments before stating. "This isn't your fault."

"How isn't this my fault? Those costumed assholes are running around out there because of me." Dave said with a great deal of pain in his voice.

"Dave... for the love of god! You aren't responsible for what every single criminal does in this city, I don't care if they're Chris' cunts or not! They're not your responsibility." Mindy tried to explain to him.

"I may not be responsible for all the criminals, but I am responsible for the cunts. If I had never started going around dressed as Kickass, then none of this would have happened." Dave whined as he looked up at the ceiling.

"What in the fuck are you talking about?" Mindy asked, a mixture of anger and remorse evident in her voice.

"When it was just you and Big Daddy, the bad guys didn't wear costumes, they didn't attack the city, they were just assholes trying to sell drugs, and do evil shit... Now, Chris is running around! And he is fucking destroying everything! He must wake up and tell his fucking guys to go do some evil shit and come back and tell him about it. Then the winner must get a fucking prize!" Dave shouted as he stood up and began pacing in front of her.

"You're right. When it was just me and daddy, things were a lot easier, the city wasn't under martial law, and we didn't have crazy motherfuckers like Chris running around. So yeah it was easier, before Kickass. But that doesn't mean I would change anything about whats happened. You took a stand, you went out there to help people, and you were the one that inspired so many people to get off their asses and help others. For fucks sake Dave, you're the guy that's given this city a real fucking chance of winning it's freedom from fuckers like Chris!" Mindy insisted, with a great deal of passion.

"You're the guy that gave people the courage to stand and fight, you're the guy that put the criminals in fucking costumes for the whole world to see. Yeah it's really sucked, but by perservearing and fighting through all of this tough shit, we've come out on top. Jesus Christ Dave... did you forget what we did at the prison... no one else could have done that... no one but us..." Mindy stated, the passion that she spoke with earlier had grown into an inferno.

Dave looked over at her, Mindy could tell that he desperately wanted to believe her...

"What happened to those people today was horrible, and it's going to be a long time before they're better, but one day, they will be better. You gave them that chance... you saved them today, so instead of feeling like shit that you couldn't stop them from getting hurt in the first place... why don't you feel good about the fact that you saved three people... you saved a family... and... you offered support and hope to that girl..." Mindy pointed out, she couldn't hide how proud she was, for what he did.

Dave stared at her for a moment, he was having a hard time paying attention to the words that were coming out of her mouth, all that he could seem to focus on was how passionately she spoke about him, she was so sure of herself, she truly believed that today was a victory for them. Dave found it increasingly difficult to disagree with her.

After a moment he walked over and sat down next to her, he stared down at the ground for a few moments before leaning his head against her. "Thanks Mindy..." He whispered.

"You're welcome." She replied with a little smile.

* * *

-Later-

Dave was back in the alley, he had no idea how he got there. The last thing he remembered, was having sex with Mindy, her body writhing with pleasure as she rode his dick, with a great deal of enthusiasm. He remembered, reaching his climax, and pulling her into a kiss and then... this.

Dave looked around the alley... it was empty, he just stood there for a few moments before he heard a loud scream, the scream was so familiar. He turned around to see a cunt pinning Rebecca to the ground as he tore her pants open.

"Not again, you son of a bitch!" Dave shouted as he charged forward, as he was running he noticed that the two of them were getting further and further away from him.

"No! Stop!" Dave shouted as he ran, the distance between them was growing.

He heard Rebecca scream as the cunt forcefully buried his cock into her virgin pussy. "God Dammit!"

Suddenly he was right next to them, Dave looked around in bewilderment, before focusing his attention on the cunt. As he stepped forward he noticed the girl was moaning... "She can't be enjoying this... can she?" Dave thought to himself as he grabbed the cunt and threw him off of her.

Dave looked down at the cunt, his eyes widened in horror as he suddenly recognized who this person was.

"Hey there Davey... come to join in on the fun?" Chris asked menacingly as he stood.

Dave just stared in horror as the girl got up off the floor. "Come on Chris... ignore him. Dave's a fun hater."

Dave recognized her voice instantly, it was Mindy. Dave turned to look at her, as she stood before him, naked as the day she was born, she had a look of disappointment on her face.

"Mindy... why?" was all Dave could ask as Chris walked past him and wrapped his arms around Mindy.

"Did you think I could ever love the idiot that got my daddy killed. Who in their right mind is that fucked up?" Mindy asked as she shook her head in bewilderment.

"Only Dave. " Chris said, as he stood behind her and began fondling her breast. "You know... that's something we have in common... Dave got both of our dads killed."

"You're right... what an asshole." Mindy said with a whimsical look on her face.

Chris slid his hand between Mindy's legs and she started to moan, Dave felt something tear through his heart at that moment. Both Chris and Mindy were staring at Dave with evil grins.

"Just face it Dave, I could never be with the guy that killed my daddy." Mindy said in between moans.

"Mindy... I love you..." Dave sputtered out as he stared on in disbelief.

"You mean you're obsessed with me... you're a sociopath, just like Chris, you can't feel love, only obsession." Mindy said with another moan.

"Nothing you say is going to change the fact that all of this, is your fault." Chris said with a grin.

"No... This isn't my fault..." Dave tried to reply but his voice cut off.

"Your fault." Mindy moaned out.

"Your fault." came another voice, Dave turned around to see Marty standing there.

"Your fault." Came Katie's voice.

"Your fault." said another voice, Dave's head shot over to see Big Daddy standing off to the side.

"Your fault." Came Colonel Stars and Stripes voice.

"Your fault." Came Night Bitch's voice.

Dave turned as more and more people began appearing around him, he stopped when a very familiar face appeared behind, Chris and Mindy... it was Dave's dad.

"Dad?" Dave said, his eyes wide in horror.

"It's all your fault, son." He said with a shake of his head.

"Oh. How did that feel?" Chris asked as Mindy let out a loud moan.

"Great!" She purred as she pulled Chris into a kiss.

Dave's eyes were nearly bulging out of his head. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. Then the worst possible thing that could happen at that moment, did. While holding their kiss Chris and Mindy opened their eyes looked over at him and smiled...

Dave stood there for a second... processing... then... nothing but blind rage.

"YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Dave shouted as he tackled Chris.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Dave roared as he pinned Chris to the floor and wrapped his hands around his throat.

Dave squeezed with all his might trying so hard to kill the son of a bitch. After a moment Chris' eye lit up and he started to laugh.

Dave's eyes went wide, the fury he was feeling was uncontrollable, he brought a hand back to kill the bastard once and for all.

"You can't kill me... I am you..." Chris roared triumphantly.

As he spoke his appearance changed, he was no longer Chris D'Amico, the man pinned beneath him, the man the he was crushing the life out of, was none other than himself.

Dave felt a sickening feeling wash over him, he felt himself about ready to puke, it was them that a sudden rushing pain struck him.

Dave's head jerked hard to the side, he was unable to comprehend, what had just happened, he refocused his attention on himself, when suddenly...

* * *

Dave felt himself him the ground hard.

He was staring at the ceiling, he was barely aware of a shooting pain in his back, as well as a pain in his head.

"Fuck!..." He heard someone shout.

After a moment the light came on, then suddenly Mindy rolled off the bed and onto his stomach, she didn't land hard enough to hurt him, but she did surprise him. One of her feet quickly pinned his arm, while one of her hands pressed down onto his injured shoulder, he was vaguely aware that her free arm was cocked back ready to knock his lights out.

"Mindy..." Was all he could say as her face came into view. She had tears streaming down her face, and she had a mixture of fear and worry in her eyes.

Dave noticed that his lover was completely naked, as she pinned him down, he couldn't help but wonder what the hell had happened. It was at that moment that he realized that he had been having a nightmare, "She was just trying to wake me up..." He thought to himself. He blinked a few time, before his eyes fell to her neck.

It was a deep red...

Dave's eyes went wide as he realized what had happened.

"Oh my god!" Dave cried as tears began to flow from his eyes.

"Are you finally awake?" Mindy hissed down at him, both murder and concern in her voice.

"...Mindy..." Dave whimpered as he tried to reach up for her.

The look on Mindy's face, changed immediately, she gulped hard, and released his arms, her look changed to one of pity and worry.

Dave quickly sat up, as Mindy slid down to his lap. He pulled her into a powerful embrace, she didn't return it, but she didn't try to escape it either. "Mindy... I am so sorry!"

"I... I..." Dave tried to speak but he couldn't get out the words, he was sobbing too hard. He felt sick to his stomach, he had hurt her. He had almost killed her, if this was anyone other that Mindy, he would have killed them.

Dave released her from the embrace as he stood up. Mindy just sat on the ground staring at his feet.

Dave felt like he was going to puke, he began hyperventilating, as he stood there. After a second he knew it was coming, and he shot over to a nearby trash can.

He had hurt her... he could have killed the woman that he loved. How would she ever forgive him? His future was over! She'd hate him forever. She'd never even let him touch her again. All of these thoughts passed through Dave's head as he barfed into the waste bin.

More horrible thoughts began passing through his head, He would never be able to touch her without feeling guilty, and she probably wouldn't be able to speak to him, let alone forgive him. Their life together, gone. The family that they planned on having, gone. Their partnership, over. Their...

Dave's train of thought was cut short as a hand gently squeezed his shoulder. Dave looked at the hand then traced it up the arm, across the shoulder, and he locked eyes with its owner.

"Mindy..." Dave whined as she stared down at him sadly.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

All Dave could do was stare at her, the question repeated in his head over and over. "Am I alright..." Dave thought to himself.

Dave just stared into her eyes, he was lost in them.

"Dave... Are you alright." She asked again, as she knelt next to him.

"I love you... so much..." Was the only thing that came out of his mouth. Dave turned and pulled her into another embrace, this time she returned it, her hands gently wresting on his lower back.

"I am so sorry. I don't know what else to say... I feel terrible..." Dave whined, as they held the embrace.

"It's fine... I'm just glad that I didn't hurt you..." Mindy replied, this time Dave could tell that she was having a little trouble speaking.

"It's not fine... I could have..." Dave stopped as the horrifying thought crossed his mind again.

Mindy stared at him for a few seconds, she had a sad look on her face.

"Go brush your teeth." Mindy stated dryly, after a few moments of silence

"What... why?" Dave asked after a moment.

"You just puked, and I want to kiss you without tasting barf..." Mindy replied as she stood up.

Dave just stared at her as she walked over to the dresser and grabbed some clothes. She quickly threw Dave some and threw on a shirt and some pants.

Dave did the same as he followed her to the bathroom, that the two of them had claimed. They both walked in and Mindy quickly shut the door behind him and stripped out of her clothes.

Dave looked at her for a second, before picking up his tooth brush and cleaning the taste of vomit out of his mouth.

After he finished, he set down his toothbrush and turned just in time to catch Mindy as she surprised him with a kiss. After a moment she pullet back and walked over to the shower stall. "Are you coming?"

"But... I..." Dave started to say, as Mindy turned around, and approached him again.

"It's okay, I know what I did wrong. I'll be sure to remember next time." She said plainly, as she began playing with the end of his shirt.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"You stayed in bed, but we weren't touching, we were sleeping back to back. You sleep better when I'm in you arms. You fell asleep first and I completely forgot... I won't forget next time." Mindy said, with a little detachment.

"You... No! This isn't your fault! It's my fault!" Dave nearly shouted.

"Hey if you're loud like that, you're going to wake the others." Mindy stated plainly.

"Mindy... this isn't your fault. It's my fault." Dave tried to explain.

Mindy stared at him for a second before, she pulled him into a hug. "Dave... I'm so sorry... I'll never let that happen again."

"Mindy... what the hell?" Dave asked, angry and confused.

"Please forgive me?" She pleaded as she looked up at him sadly.

"Mindy... you didn't do anything wrong!" Dave stated, shaking his head in disbelief, 'what in the fuck is going on?'

"Please?" Mindy whined as she nuzzled against his chest.

"Mindy..."

"Please..." Mindy whined again, as she looked up at him, fresh tears flowing from her eyes.

"Fine, fine. I forgive you. Just don't cry." Dave said suddenly feeling guilty for not forgiving her for whatever she felt guilty about.

"Do you mean it?" Mindy asked giving his a pouting face.

"Yeah... I forgive you." Dave stated as he shook his head in bewilderment.

"Okay good. You can go back to being Dave and I'll go back to being Mindy." Mindy stated with a smirk as she turned and walked into the shower stall.

"What?" Dave asked as he stared at her.

"I just forgave you. So stop feeling guilty and get in here." Mindy stated with a bit of authority.

"Did you just trick me?" Dave asked, as his jaw slowly dropped.

"Look I know you feel like shit, but come on, we spend all day beating the shit out of each other anyway, I'll be fine..." Mindy explained as she turned the water on.

"Mindy..."

"Come on Dave. I can kick your ass from here to Chicago, when you're awake. I'm sure I can handle sleepwalking Dave." Mindy said with a roll of her eyes.

"How in the hell are you so cool with this? I'm freaking the fuck out!" Dave asked, as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Dave... people have been trying to kill me for years... besides... I knew this would probably happen." Mindy stated as the water poured over her body.

"You... knew?" Dave asked as he stood at the entrance to the stall.

"When you started acting funny, I did a little research. I think you might have PTSD, you have a lot of the symptoms, and from what I've read, in some cases, PTSD can cause violent outbreaks. Believe me Dave, I've been waiting for something like this to happen, you just caught me by surprise that's all." Mindy explained as she messaged her neck.

"But... what if you weren't able to stop me? I mean what if..." Dave started to freak out.

"Dave... I've been sleeping with a tazer under the pillows since we moved in. I'm fine." Mindy stated as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed the bottom of his shirt. "Just forgive and forget, I knew something like this could have happened, and I still stayed with you. I stayed because I love you. And nothing in this world is going to change that. I'm here for the long run, and if your subconscious wants to take a few shots at me, it can go right on ahead and do it."

Mindy pulled the shirt up over his head then, pulled his pants down. After she finished stripping him she pulled him into the shower with her.

"Okay..." Dave stated with a weary sigh. "What are we going to do about this? I can't go back to sleep knowing that I could hurt you again."

"Well.. if it will make you feel any better, after our nightly fuck, I can handcuff you to the bed... or I can do that before we fuck, if you're into that kinda shit." Mindy said plainly.

Dave just shook his head and let out a little laugh. "I will make this up to you. I promise."

"You can start by repaying me for last night. It was all about you, last night. I'm the one that gave you a blow job, I'm the one that fucked your brains out, and I'm the one that got you off, but did you return the favor? Hell no!" Mindy said with a seductive grin.

"One of these days I'm really going to have to remember to fuck the horrnyness right out of you." Dave replied after a moment, he suddenly realized that, as of right now, he was not allowed to feel guilty, Mindy would not allow it.

"I'd love to see you try." Mindy confessed.

Mindy closed the shower stall, and pushed Dave against a wall, "I love you..." She whispered, as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "...and no matter what happens in those nightmares, know that I'll always be there when you wake up."

For a moment, right before her lips touched his it finally set it... "I could have PTSD... I could..."

Dave's thought process was cut short right as their lips met. Dave decided to let his worries momentarily slip away as he kissed her very deeply, there was a reason he loved her so much, and she wasn't shy about reminding him. It felt good to be in her arms, there was a moment, when she wrapped her arms around him, just a moment, when he felt completely peaceful. Completely... safe.

_Okay so this chapter is done, I made it nice and long for all of my wonderful fans out there I'm off to my job training and I hope to get another chapter up soon. Please let me know what you think and I am open to OC's if you have any, I am looking for another female to add to the group if you guys don't mind, feel free to let me know if you have any ideas. Name, age, sex, back-story, costume, and weapons are all awesome peaces of info and if your looking to spice things up I'm interested in discussing possible oc relationships with cast members... DAVE AND MINDY ARE OFF LIMITS! THEY ARE MY PLAYTHING MINE! oops sorry got a little carried away there. Anyway let me know what you think and contact me or leave a review if you wanna talk OC's as long as you guys keep reading I'll keep typing._


	19. Chapter 19

_On two the next chapter! I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS AND GALS, all of the OC's you're sending me are awesome, and I want and plan on adding them all. I don't intend on this story ending anytime soon, so new characters and content are really appreciated... keep those reviews coming and I plan on making this chapter nice and long... I am 3000 word away from breaking the 100000 word mark, so I'm really going to be shelling out the new chapters... please enjoy and let me know what you think. Lets BEGIN!_

**Fall of a hero, Rise of a legend.**

Chapter 19

Mindy rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed, she immediately felt a dull throbbing pain in her neck. She gently began messaging her throat as she looked over for Dave. And of course... he was gone.

"Ass..." Mindy said aloud as she stood up and turned on the light. She could see the handcuffs that Dave made her use on him, sitting on the nightstand. Mindy was only kidding when she suggested it, but Dave was eager to find a solution, so that he could sleep, without running the risk of hurting her. So she reluctantly had to handcuff him to the bed, she did leave the key sitting right on his nightstand, so that if he needed to, he could free himself... but that really didn't make Mindy feel any better about having to handcuff her lover.

Mindy glanced over at herself in the nearby mirror, the headquarters, was very well air conditioned so it was nice and toasty inside, coupled with the blankets on their bed, plus the warmth from Dave's body, it could become pretty warm in there. Mindy had taken to sleeping in the nude most nights. It didn't hurt that when she woke up, she was already perfectly dressed for a 'fun' morning with Dave.

She shook her head with a smile, she and Dave had kept to their deal, they had slept together every night, and too Mindy, every time felt better then the previous time. She never felt more turned on, then when she was coupled with her lover, it was strange to her, how much Dave seemed to enjoy himself. A lot of the guys who paid for prostitutes, were married men, and if they were married, then why did they need to go out and have sex with some whore... She was just a novice, who only learned the joys of sex a few weeks prior, and yet Dave didn't seem to have a problem with the way they did it... in fact, he seems to enjoy it almost as much as she does.

Mindy's inquisitive thoughts slipped away when her eyes fell to her neck. It was red with a few purple splotches... "Damn... he got me pretty good." Mindy thought to herself as she brought her hands up to message her neck.

After a few more moments Mindy turned to the dresser and grabbed some clothes, after she had her shirt and pants on, she stopped and wondered to herself, what she would tell the others about her neck... it took her a few moments to come up with a convincing lie, then she was out the door.

She walked into the living room and found Katie sitting on the couch, pieces of her two handguns were set out in two separate piles on the coffee table, in front of her. She had the manual in her hands, and it looked like she was trying to piece it together.

"Having fun?" Mindy asked with a bemused look.

"Not really... I'm trying to get this down..." Katie replied, as she focused intently on the manual.

"Okay..." Mindy replied without much concern as she walked into the kitchen to make some breakfast.

"How was Dave?" Katie asked after a moment, as she set the manual down and looked over her shoulder at Mindy.

"He's fine... I just had to beat some courage into him." Mindy replied as she made herself a bowl of cereal.

"Yeah..." Katie started to laugh, but then her eyes fell to Mindy's neck. "Are you alright?"

"What... this?" Mindy looked up and pointed at her neck. "Just a few 'thank you's' from Dave."

"Wow." Katie replied. "I have seen girls show up with hickeys on the strangest places, and yet I don't think I've ever seen a hickey necklace, before."

"Yeah well... Dave's a smoocher. What can I say?" Mindy replied with a huff, like it was no big deal.

"You should really cover those up..." Katie said after a moment.

"Why?" Mindy replied, suddenly defensive.

"Cuz.. I don't think a cop like Marcus is going to buy that whole... hickey story." Katie said with a little concern.

"It's not a story, I'm telling the truth." Mindy replied, with a little agitation.

"I'm not judging or anything, but unless she's trying to make someone jealous, a girl won't usually walk around showing off something like that. Don't worry, the others will probably believe it, but you should really cover it up or something." Katie said as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Well, what the hell do I cover it up with? I'm not the kinda girl who wears a scarf and shit, so what the hell do I do?" Mindy asked as she realized that Katie was right.

"Um... Maybe you can say you got it from some late night practice with Dave... say you got distracted and he accidentally punched you in the throat." Katie stated after a few seconds of thought.

"Okay... I can do that... but how do I make it go away?" Mindy asked with some concern.

"Oh... get something cold, the cold should cause the swelling and redness to go down a little bit. Just stick with your story and keep icing it. It will go away soon." Katie explained after a moment.

"Thanks." Mindy said as she stood and went to retrieve an ice pack from the fridge.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Mindy quickly wolfed down her cereal, between bites she would hold the ice pack to her neck, it was a few moments before Mindy noticed that Katie was staring at her.

"What?" Mindy asked as she finished the last of her cereal.

"Not that it's any of my business... but, how did that happen..." Katie asked, cautiously.

"Look... I'm only going to tell you because you dated him before me, so you might be able to help, but before I say anything, you have to promise not to say anything to anybody!" Mindy stated in a very serious tone.

"I swear... I won't tell a soul." Katie replied, she was obviously nervous.

"You know about Dave's dad, right?" Mindy asked after a moment.

"Yeah."

"...and you know that Dave blames himself for everything that has happened?" Mindy continued, her tone remaining firm.

"I figured that's why he was acting so distant." Katie said with a shrug.

Mindy stared into Katie's eyes for a few moments before taking a deep breath and saying, "I think Dave might be developing some sort of mental disorder."

"What? Wait! Did Dave actually do that too you?" Katie finally gained the courage to ask.

"Look... yesterday after I went after Dave, we sat in our room and talked, we probably talked for like two hours, maybe more... eventually, I decided I wanted to make him feel better. So... we had sex... and then we went to bed..." Mindy explained, her face slightly red with embarrassment.

"And then?" Katie asked after a moments pause.

"You have to understand, I can handle myself. I can kick Dave's ass on a bad day, he's not a threat to me. And to be honest, I had completely, forgotten that he's been having nightmares. Two days ago I discovered the trick to help him sleep better, and the trick was, to sleep in his arms, or even on top of him. But yesterday it was warm in our room, and I completely forgot about the nightmares, so we slept back to back. He had a nightmare, and he thought I was Chris..." Mindy trailed off as she looked down at the ground.

"Oh my god... are you okay?" Katie asked sympathetically.

"Yeah I'm fine. Like I said, I can handle myself. I ended up beating the crap out of him, it wasn't that hard, he just took me by surprise, that's all." Mindy explained, as she looked up at Katie.

"What are you two going to do about this?" Katie said with obvious concern.

"Well after it happened Dave made me handcuff him too the bed, so that he wouldn't hurt me." Mindy stated with a little regret.

"No I mean... what if Dave's really sick? He really shouldn't be out fighting criminals." Katie insisted.

"Look, if I knew of a way, I'd get him some help, but we're wanted fugitives. The cops are looking for us and our faces are plastered all over the god damn internet and TV. Theirs no one he can talk too, and the only person he will talk to is me... and I don't know how to help him..." Mindy confessed.

"I wish I could help. You're the only person he trusts anymore." Katie stated sadly.

"Look... thanks for listening, it really means a lot." Mindy admitted.

"You and I are on the same team, this is never going to work if we can't at the very least be friendly with one another." Katie stated with a small smile, as Marty walked into the room.

"Hey guys, you need to come see this!" Marty said excitedly.

"What is it?" Katie asked as her and Mindy stood to follow.

"Come on!" Marty replied as they followed him to the armory.

They walked in and found Dave and Marcus standing, in the center of the room staring up at a TV.

"Come check this out." Marcus stated as the two walked in. "The hell happened to you?" He asked as he noticed Mindy icing her neck.

"Dave punched me in the throat." Mindy replied plainly.

"What?" Marcus asked with a look of surprise.

"I lost my focus, and he got in a good shot, I'm fine. So what is going on?" Mindy said as she stepped up next to Dave who was focused on the news that was playing on the TV.

"That family we saved yesterday, The father... he is the younger brother of the Mayor." Dave explained with a far away look.

"They were the mayor's family?" Mindy said aloud to no one in particular.

"Rebecca was his niece..." Dave stated in a near whisper.

"Wow..." Mindy said with a smile as she focused on the news report that was regaling the heroic actions, of a few young heroes.

* * *

-Three days later- - - New Years - - -

Mindy threw her arms up triumphantly, as Marty and Todd both writhed around on the floor. "Who kicks ass? Me!"

"Dammit!" Todd whined as he rolled around.

"That sucked so fucking hard." Marty shouted angrily as he rolled onto his back.

"Get over it." Mindy said shaking her head with a smile.

"That is never, not going to be awesome." Katie giggled as she stepped over to help them up.

"Yeah go ahead and laugh. You wont think it's so fun when you have your ass kicked." Todd chastised, as he sat up.

"Don't be a bitch..." Mindy chirped as she heard Dave and Marcus return home.

Mindy awoke to find her lover missing from there bed, this morning. She asked around and learned from Marty that Dave and Marcus threw on their costumes and left early in the morning. Mindy was on her phone in a second to talk to Dave, she called him and surprisingly he answered. He told her that a few new recruits had contacted them and he wanted to go check them out.

Mindy couldn't help but smile when he told her why he didn't take her with him.

* * *

-Begin flashback-

Since the choking incident, Dave had become the king of all sweethearts. He was by her side constantly, doing her favors, holding her in his arms, Mindy found it all really romantic. The first night the two didn't have sex, Mindy found it disappointing but, they did spend the whole day working extra hard on their training. After the news about them saving the Mayor's family, the whole group got really pumped so they spent the whole day working out and practicing with their weapons. So by the end of the day, both Mindy and Dave, were exhausted.

The second Day, was New Years Eve... Dave made a point of letting everyone spend some time with their families. In the end, Dave, Mindy, Marcus, Katie, Marty, and his parents all spent the day together, in the headquarters. They sat together as they watched the new years countdown celebration, time square was pretty barren but there was a few people who got out to celebrate, a few people who wouldn't let Chris break their spirit.

After the countdown Dave and Mindy went to bed... Mindy's hormones were racing, as she pulled him into the room and almost tore his clothes off... Every time they made love they stuck to mostly passionate stuff, about the most adventurous they ever got was oral sex, Mindy was still new to sex, so anything they did, felt amazing to her. As for Dave, all he wanted to do was show her how much he loved her, he didn't really care about trying anything new, it was all about the passion, for him.

The lack of variety never bothered Mindy, it always felt great, to her there was nothing more incredible then looking into her lover's eyes as they both climaxed together. Though that night was different, as she lay on top of Dave, head buried in his chest, breathing heavily as she came down from her orgasm, she felt something come over her. Her hormones didn't die down, in fact she felt even more turned on, as she lay there thinking about her lovers warm seed inside of her. It was then that she sat up on his lap, and began messaging her clit.

Mindy stared down at her lover as she played with herself, her desire to continue, evident in her eyes.

Dave quickly got the picture, she didn't need to say anything, as he sat up and kissed one of her breasts. Dave's hand quickly replaced hers as he took one of her nipples in his mouth and began to gently suck on it...

Mindy let out a light moan as she began to hump his hand.

After a few moments, Mindy pulled him up from her breast, and looked him in the eyes. "Fuck me."

Even as the words left her lips, Mindy found them odd. Out of all the times they had, had sex, neither one had ever refered to what they did as fucking, outside of sex they would joke about fucking each other all the time, but this was different, what Mindy felt, wasn't a desire to be loved, what she felt was a need to be taken.

She felt slightly embarrassed, as Dave pulled her into a kiss. He always joked about how much of a horny little girl she was, but in truth it wasn't like he was that much older then she was, in the grand scheme of things, three years isn't a lot. Mindy secretly believed that Dave was still trying to prove something to her, she thought that the reason why he always called it 'making love' was so that she wouldn't think he was trying to take advantage of her or something. It bothered Mindy a little but she understood why he felt like that, she was all he had left, and he was going to do everything he could to make her feel loved.

"Come on..." Mindy moaned, as she reached between the two of them, and grabbed Dave's hardening member.

"I want you to fuck the horrnyness, right out of me." She commanded as she pulled him into another kiss, at this moment Mindy no longer cared if it was passionate, all she wanted to do, was fuck him senseless.

Dave didn't say anything, he just looked at her for a few moments, trying to decide whether or not, he should just forget about the passionate stuff for the night... After a moment of thought, he relented and pulled away from her embrace.

Dave got around behind her, Mindy felt a twinge of excitement, shoot up her spine as he whispered in her ear, to lean forward. Mindy complied and once on her hands and knees, she quickly felt him enter her from behind.

Mindy moaned in pleasure as he proceeded to fuck her with a great deal of enthusiasm. After a moment Dave leaned forward, and reached around with one arm and began fondling her breasts, his other hand found it's way to her clit. Mindy began moaning louder as intense waves of pleasure began cascading over her body.

Mindy had to bite her lower lip to stop the loud moans, everybody already knew that her and Dave were fucking, but she still didn't want them to actually hear them fucking...

After a few moments of intence stimulation. Mindy felt that familiar feeling return. "Fuck yes!" she moaned as she felt her body spasm in ecstasy.

Mindy collapsed onto her belly, after a moment of staring off blissfully, she turned to look at Dave. Mindy had to hide a smile, as she looked into his eyes and saw the burning lust within them. She pulled away from him, his rock hard dick sliding out of her in the process, and she turned to face him.

She crawled forward and wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him into a deep kiss, after a moment she pulled away and stared at him seductively. "You ready to go again?" She whispered as her free hand wrapped around his cock.

"Fuck yes!" Dave replied as he pulled her into another kiss...

* * *

-End flashback-

The two ended up fucking for about another hour before they decided to finally call it a night. Mindy still wasn't used to Dave handcuffing himself to the bed, and it was beginning to really irritate her.

Anyway, she woke to find him missing and ended up calling him. He told her that the reason why he didn't want to wake her, was that she looked so beyond beautiful, that there was no way he could, in good conscience, wake such a serene and majestic creature...

It was sappy but it still made Mindy smile, so she just decided to let it rest.

Dave and Marcus walked in, both in their costumes, Dave as always looked pretty intimidating, and the black contacts that he usually wore made his eyes appear lifeless, Marcus on the other hand, looked like a beacon of freaking morality... His new duster had arrived and Mindy had convinced him to wear a Kevlar lined black stetson hat, she also talked him into switching out his balaclava, with a black domino mask like hers. Dave said it made him look like a modern, 'Lone Ranger'.

They both began to take off their face gear, as the others gathered around.

"Hey guys!" Mindy said happily as she walked over to greet them.

"Are the others here?" Dave asked as Mindy hugged Marcus.

"Um... Dominic and Donald are in the armory and Duncan is out walking the city." Mindy stated after a moment of thought.

"What the hell is he doing out there?" Marcus asked as he rubbed his hands together to warm them up.

"Jesus! How cold is it out there?" Mindy asked looking at the two of them.

"It's cold." Dave stated plainly as he leaned against a wall.

"Anyway, Duncan wanted to take a good look around the area, he wanted to check sight lines and stuff like that." Mindy explained as she walked over to hug Dave. He returned the hug and smiled as she pulled away.

"So whats this I hear about new recruits?" Katie asked as her, Marty and Todd walked over.

Mindy looked at the two of them eagerly, she was always excited to hear about new members. "Go get Donald and Dominic, and can one of you call Duncan and see if he can come back?" Dave asked after a moment.

Ten minutes later Duncan walked through the armory door. "Christ, it's colder then a witches tit, out there."

"You hear we might have new members?" Mindy asked as he walked up to the group.

"Yeah, Marty told me that there might be some new recruits. So... what happened?" Duncan asked with a sly grin.

Dave and Marcus both looked at each other, after a moment Marcus motioned for Dave to speak, both of them had huge grins.

"Four! Four new members are offering to join us!" Dave explained, keeping his grin.

"Seriously? Who?" Donald asked excitedly.

"Well... after hearing about what we did to save the mayor's family, Night Bitch has offered to team back up." Dave stated trying to hold back, joyful laughter.

"Sweet!" "Awesome!" Donald and Marty cheered with happy faces. The others just looked on kind of confused.

"She's an old member of Justice Forever." Marty said with a grin.

"It's going to be real nice having her back." Donald stated happily.

"What about the other three?" Todd asked after a moment.

"Well we actually only went out to talk too two, but the third one caught our eye, but we'll get too that. The two people we went out to see, were Peter and Barbara Callahan, aka. The Zombie Warrior and Huntress." Dave said with an approving nod.

"Sweet." Dominic said with a little glee.

"Are they related?" Duncan asked after a second.

"Yeah a husband and wife, like Remembering Tommy. A Few of their friends were killed during Chris' rampage, a few day ago, now they want to team up and hunt him down." Marcus interjected.

"Are they professionals?" Katie asked curiously.

"They're not soldiers or ex cops or anything, they said that they worked on the set of World War Z together and that's were they fell in love. They are both really cool, they do Make-up." Dave explained.

"Cool... so... I'm guessing that they're both dressed kind of like zombies?" Marty asked with a smile, after a few moments.

"Yep, but I'll just let you wait and see them for yourself. We'll be meeting up with them again, tomorrow." Dave told him with a smile.

"So what about this other person?" Mindy asked excitedly.

"This is an interesting story... so Marcus and I are on our way back after meeting with our zombie friends, and we hear these store sirens. We round a corner and see a convenience store with a broken window. We start to make a move towards it, when a guy comes smashing through the window. The guy was dressed almost exactly like Spider-man Noir... it was surreal... anyway spidey gets up as two cunts walk out of the store, one's got a bat and the others toting a sledge hammer like a boss." Dave explained.

"So Dave and I start to run towards them, the two cunts hear us coming and turn to look at us... right as they do, the masked hero, pulls out a revolver and shoots at them." Marcus says with a look of bewilderment.

"He even did it like in the cowboy movies. He just drew, aimed and fired two shots... of course he didn't hit jack shit!" Dave said with a smile.

"... but both the thugs immediately dropped their weapons and threw their hands up... Me and Dave slowed to a walk as this spidey looking guy looked down at his gun like it was broken or something." Marcus continued keeping his look.

"So we walked up and he turned to look at us... the guy visibly recoiled like he had no idea, were we came from..." Dave added as he shook his head with a laugh.

"He looked at us and asked what was up... Marcus quickly handcuffed the cunts and dialed 911... I spoke with our friend. His name is Ace Walker... hero name Ace. Apparently he likes his name just the way it is... he seemed generally surprised to see me... he told me how he was planning on trying to contact me and Hit Girl to ask about training and teaming up... I asked him a little about himself... he said that he used to be a street thug but he got sick of that life and wanted to change. He says that he really wants to be one of the good guys... I asked him if he could meet up tomorrow, so that we could all check him out." Dave explained after he finished laughing.

"Sweet... These guys all have costumes and everything... They really came prepared for this whole hero thing. God, do I feel like a slouch." Dominic said with a chuckle.

"Our only prerequisite for being a hero is a desire to do whats right... and put that crazy son of a bitch, Chris, into the dirt." Mindy stated plainly.

"...so, what time are we meeting them tomorrow?" Marty asked after a moment of silence.

"We'll meet them at dawn, so if you wanna be there... wake up early and get your ass over here." Dave said seriously as he looked around the room.

"Yes sir!" Dominic and Donald both said with a salute.

After a few moments the group dispersed, Mindy found herself following Dave back to their room.

"Hey Dave?" She asked as she followed him into the room.

"What?" Dave replied as he turned to look at her.

"About last night... I want to apologize." Mindy said with a little embarrassment.

"What? Why?" Dave asked with a little shock.

"Well I know we made each other a promise to always treat our... late night activities... with a bit more decency than that. So I wanted to apologize, if I sorta acted a little needy." Mindy explained, as she blushed slightly.

"Mindy... I think we should try our hardest to always make love... but I understand that there are times when you need to really work out some of your built up urges. Believe me, when I was your age, I was masturbating like, anywhere from two too three times a day. You're still young and your hormones are still raging, your body is still growing and undergoing a lot of changes. So don't worry so much about it." Dave explained as he and Mindy sat on the bed.

"Even with what we promised each other, we're still both human, and we still have needs. My needs are just more constant then yours. I don't need to have sex for prolonged periods of time, and I really don't care if I have more than one orgasm... stuff like that doesn't really bother me. With that being said, there are still times when I wanna rip your clothes off and have sex for hours. I'm still young and my hormones are still raging just like yours... what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't feel like you have to apologize for wanting to just fuck the night away, because to tell you the truth, I've spent a lot of time wanting that too." Dave finished, as he wrapped an arm around Mindy.

"Thanks Dave... It's just so fucking hard to figure it out. Sometimes, I'm fine, and just sleeping in your arms is good enough, while other times, I feel like we should just forget sleep all together, and just fuck all night. It's all so fucking distracting. I mean, dealing with our relationship, while at the same time, dealing with training, and planning... it's all just really stressful, and I'm really worried that I might mess this up." Mindy confessed with a huff as she leaned against him.

"I know... and I'm not helping matters am I?" Dave asked after a pause.

"What do you mean?" Mindy inquired as she stared off.

"I mean with what I've been going through. For gods sake, I almost choked you out a few days ago, and I know I've been moody these last few weeks. I'm sure I've been kind of a pain to deal with." Dave admitted with a far away look in his eye.

Mindy just stared off for a few moments with a far away look in her eyes, she was deep in thought, there was a question that she wanted to ask him, she wanted to ask about his nightmares, but she didn't know how to phrase it. She knew if she didn't ask him the right way or if she asked at the wrong time he would push the question away.

Dave wasn't aware of it, but Mindy held a burning desire to free him from his nightmares, the problem was, that she didn't know exactly what his nightmares were about, so it's not like she could ask anyone about them or even look online to discover their meaning.

Mindy finally decided to just give it another try, the worst that could happen is he just avoids the question... as she was about to speak a sudden idea popped into her head. After so many fleeting moments spent thinking about it, she finally knew how to ask him.

"Dave... what was your dream about?" She asked looking over at him sadly.

"Which one?" He replied as he looked over at her.

"The one that led to you choking me." Mindy said hesitantly.

"I don't really remember it had something to do with Chris and you..." Dave started, but Mindy quickly cut him off.

"Dave!" She snapped. "You and I are in this together. We're partners, two halves of the same whole. If something is affecting you, then it's affecting me. I share a bed with you, I sleep in your arms almost every night, I think I have a right to know what these horrible nightmares are about."

Dave stared back at her, he desperately wanted to tell her, but whenever he thought about the dream, it filled him with so much dread and anger, that he just wanted to scream.

"Look... you don't have to tell me about any others, just this one. Tell me about it? Tell me what drove you so far?" Mindy stated her voice becoming more sincere.

Dave looked deep in her eyes, he found a burning passion in them. It made him want to cry at how strong she was, she always faced her problems head on, she never backed down from a challenge, and there was no one he trusted more in this world. After a moment, Dave let out a long sigh, before finally relenting.

"I was in an alley, and Rebecca was there, so was one of Chris' cunts. The guy pinned her too the ground and started to rape her, I tried to run to her but, I couldn't reach her, she screamed out for me but no matter what I did, I just couldn't get to her. After a moment I was suddenly at their side, and Rebecca was moaning in pleasure, I didn't understand. I tore the cunt off of her, and quickly realized that it was Chris. That's when Rebecca stood, and spoke to me. Though it wasn't Rebecca anymore..." Dave trailed off as he reached this part. For reasons that he didn't understand, he felt almost ashamed or embarrassed, when he thought about this part.

"Who was it?" Mindy asked as she listened intently.

Dave hesitated for a few moments before hanging his head and answering. "It was you."

"What?" Mindy asked a little confused.

"You stood in front of me, staring me down. After a moment, Chris got to his feet and stood behind you... He started to... fondle you and touch you... and you were enjoying it... … … You two started to taunt me. You said that I was obsessed with you! That I was crazy to think that you could ever love the man that got your dad killed!" Dave growled as he gritted his teeth. He felt so ashamed, and he didn't know why, he couldn't even look at her, he just stared at the floor, his fists clenched in anger.

"Then it got worse, he... he started to pleasure you, as you two began talking about all the things you had in common, like how I was responsible for both of your dads dying... You called me a sociopath. You said I was just like Chris... … … You... you said that this was all my fault. After you said it, more people appeared, and they started saying it. People like Marty, Katie and Night Bitch, Your dad... My dad..." Dave trailed off as an image of his father flashed through his mind.

"They were all blaming me!" Dave nearly shouted. "I did the only thing I could think of! I ran forward and tackled Chris! I wrapped my hands around his throat and I squeezed as hard as I could. As I squeezed, his face changed, he looked like me, and he started to laugh! Right before you woke me up, he shouted 'You cant kill me! I am you!'" Dave finished, he was trembling with rage.

"You and the others fill my life with distractions, I can go a full day without thinking about what he's done to me! But if theirs ever a lull, if I'm ever alone, he finds his way back into my head! He's always there!" Dave finally shouts as he slams his hand down onto the bed.

"Whenever I'm with the others, he vanishes. But I can still feel him, still feel him watching me. It feels like he's hiding around the corner, or waiting just outside the door. The only time he disappears for good, is when I'm with you." Dave cried as he finally looked up at her.

As Dave's eyes fell upon her, he almost visibly recoiled. Mindy's mouth hung open, her eyes were wide, her lower jaw was trembling, and tears poured out of her eyes, she was mortified.

Mindy had always known his dreams were terrible, but this... this was impossible for her to comprehend. It had been evident to her for a while that he was blaming himself for the cities woes, and that the guilt he felt was destroying him, but she never could have guessed that his own guilt had manifested into this much self loathing.

She wanted so badly to wrap her arms around him and lead him away from this city, take him to a quite place, where they could live out there days together in peace. She wanted him to be free, and happy. She wanted them to be a real family, one that didn't have to worry about criminals, or fighting evil. A family that could live together and love, and raise children... for the first time in her life... Mindy actually wished that she could be normal...

"You and I are one..." Mindy stated after a moment, as she reached out an caressed his cheek.

"We will hunt that bastard down, we'll kill him. We'll kill his bosses. We'll kill everyone he has helping him... … …" Mindy continued with anger welling up inside of her. She brought her other hand too his cheek, and stared deep into his eyes.

"Once this is over... we will be free!" She hissed angrily.

Mindy watched as Dave's face hardened, and he nodded in response. Mindy held his face, as she continued to stare into his eyes. If there was any part of her, deep down, that wanted to quit, to run away. It died at that moment...

_Okay so this chapter is done, let me know what you think and thank you guys for all the awesome OC's they are all incredible and I plan on adding each one, let me know if you have any other interesting info about your OC's and let me know if you have and interesting scenarios... Also... I'm looking for a few evil OC's for Chris group, as well as the evil criminal organizations. Let me know if you have any ideas and feel free to PM me at anytime to talk shop. _

_P.S. For the love of fucking Christ **thejokersbrother! **Get a goddamn account so that I can just PM you with my praise, rather than having to dedicate a section of my story to your awesome assistance. Once again thank you very much and I really appreciate all the ideas you and everyone else has given me._


	20. Chapter 20

_Okay... starting work on chapter 20 this shit is getting intense... I love you guys ideas, and I'm always open to chatting about stuff... let me know if you have any cool ideas... anyway I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter and be sure to like or review, I would really appreciate it. Oh and if you want to know exactly what the zombie couple weapons look like go read about it in the review section, they had a lot of weapons and I don't have time list the names of each one._

_**Fall of a hero, Rise of a Legend.**_

Chapter 20

… blood … red blood, running down his flesh. Blood being washed from his body. Blood swirling down the drain.

Mindy's eyes shifted angrily, as he grunted in pain. Mindy was hard at work, sowing up a large cut on his back, her eyes glancing from his wound, to the diluted blood that was being washed out of it. The two stood in the shower stall, warm water cascading over their bodies, washing Dave's wound clean of blood. Both looked terrible, Mindy had bumps and bruises all over her body, but her most noticeable injury was the deep purple marks running across her torso, she was sure that she had a few bruised ribs, her right ankle was also noticeably swollen, and Mindy grimaced in pain, each time she shifted her weight. Dave's injuries were much more bloody, besides the eight inch long cut across his back, there was over a dozen slash marks all over his body, each one ranging in size, he also had a cluster of small cuts and burn marks on his lower back. He was also covered in small bruises from numerous gunshots, and his shoulder was swollen, it had been wrenched from it's socket, earlier that evening.

Mindy finally finished sowing up the last of his wounds, she opened the shower stall and hobbled out to put the needle in the sink, then she made her way back into the stall. Both of the young heroes sat next to each other in the stall, both grimacing in pain, as they sat.

Both sat in silence for a few moments, letting the water fall onto their wounded bodies. After a while, Mindy finally rested her head on Dave's un-injured shoulder, her eyes were hazy, so were his, it was almost like the two of them weren't really there.

After a moment, Dave rested his arm around her. He grimaced in pain, every part of his body hurt. His head was throbbing, his ears were ringing and every movement was a chore...

"Are you okay?" Dave asked, as he sighed loudly.

Mindy looked up at him, he could tell that she was beyond exhausted, he himself was about ten seconds away from passing out.

"I was really scared, I didn't know where you were or if you were alright." Mindy whispered up at him.

"I know..." Dave replied at he looked up at the ceiling, trying his best to accurately recall the nights events. In the end, everything was still pretty fuzzy, it hurt to think about it, so Dave just decided to clear his head and enjoy the warm water running down his body.

* * *

-Later-

Mindy hobbled into the living room, she was greeted by Barbara Callahan, one of the newest members of their team, she was caressing her husband, Peter's cheek, he was laying across the couch with his head in her lap.

Mindy had to stop and admire the older couple. It had been two weeks since the Zombie hunting couple joined their group, they called themselves, The Zombie Warrior and Huntress, they were really nice people, and had a lot of cool zombie based weapons and stuff, apparently they were friends with a guy who was doing promotional stuff for World War Z and he had made a lot of zombie based, guns and blades. Their costumes were pretty much the same, they both wore full black spandex suits with green body armor and green iron zombie masks. Peter wore a trench-coat over his outfit, while Barbara wore a leather jacket.

The two were both reeling from what had happened earlier that evening, when they joined the team, along with Night Bitch, and Ace, they were nubes. Both brought with them a shit load of weapons, but they had never actually killed anyone before... they both took it hard when they first put down some criminals. Mindy remembered those days clearly, it was two days after they had joined...

* * *

-Begin Flashback-

The team had four new members, and they were all sitting in the living room getting to know each other. Mindy knew that she liked Peter and Barbara right away, they were both really friendly, apparently two of their friends were murdered when Chris began to tear the city apart, so the two decided to get off their asses and do something about it. Mindy found it odd how average the two of them were, both had brown hair, Peter had green eyes and was about average height and build for a guy his age. While Barbara had deep blue eyes and was a bit on the shorter side, she was really pretty, her hair was shoulder length and really wavy, she kinda looked like that one chick from The Dark Knight Rises... you know, the evil one.

Mindy also quickly came to like Night Bitch, she was sassy and incredibly witty, though Mindy did have to assert her dominance when it came to Dave, Night Bitch quickly picked up on their relationship, and kept the flirting to a minimum, though occasionally she'd wrap an arm around Dave or give him a peck on the cheek, just to get a rise out of Mindy... but other than the friendly teasing, they became quick friends.

The wild card was Ace, he was pretty quite and laid back the first few days, it took Mindy a little while to figure out that he was sizing everybody up. Mindy guessed that he was kinda like Dave, a little shy and awkward around people that he didn't know, it was around the second day that he actually started to loosen up. Mindy thought he looked really cool, even without the costume. He was an ex street thug so he had plenty of cool scars, in terms of appearance he was pretty unique, he had deep red shoulder length hair, pretty hazel eyes, and he was a descent size, he was about 5' 10 and probably weighed about two hundred pounds, though none of it was fat. Ace was pretty cool once he started to open up, he was just some guy who's dad used to work for Frank D'Amico, until one day D'Amico had his dad killed and Ace was left without a home or a caregiver. Mindy even thought his real name was kinda cool, Ace Walker.

In terms of weapons, The Zombie couple was armed to the teeth with a lot of zombie based weapons including handguns, rifles, a spear, a walking axes, machetes, and hatchets. Mindy ended up giving Night Bitch two, M9 Beretta, handguns as well as a black dragon Naginata. Ace had a revolver, as well as brass knuckles built into his gloves. Mindy ended up giving him two trench knives, to go with his brawling fighting style.

As they were all bullshitting, Dave and Katie walked into the room, "Guys... I think we're ready to start." Dave stated to the group as a whole.

"What about Katie? I thought she wouldn't be clear, to start for a week or two?" Marty asked as the group looked over at the two of them.

"Look I can walk normal now, and as long as I don't need to be jumping and diving around corners I should be fine. Besides, I'm just going to drive... for a little while." Katie explained.

"You're alright with being our driver until you're healed?" Mindy asked curiously.

"Someone's gotta do it... it might as well be the person that can't be out on the streets." Katie replied with a shrug.

"Are you alright with this?" Marcus asked Dave.

"Someones gotta do it. Besides... if we stay here any longer we'll all go stir crazy. I was thinking. I lead one team, Mindy lead the other, and three people go with Katie in the car, we patrol the streets, and the group in the car acts like reinforcements. I think we start with patrol plan A and see how that works, Duncan stays on over watch and we can cover a lot of ground. We'll stay within a few blocks of each other, so that each group can be at each others location in a moment. We play it safe and I think we'll be okay." Dave explained.

"Well... sounds good to me. Anyone have any objections?" Mindy asked after a moment of thought.

The group just sat in silence, after no one asked anything, Marty loudly clapped his hands together and asked. "So, who's going on which teams?"

"Alright... Asskicker, El Drogas, and Doctor Gravity, go with Madam Justice. Night Bitch, Ace, and Battle Guy, come with me. Iron Lawman, and team Zombie, will go with Hit Girl." Dave stated in a formal and authoritative manner.

"Shot gun!" Todd shouted with a smile.

"Damn!" "Shit" Dominic and Donald, shouted in response.

And like that they were off... they all quickly threw on their costumes and split into their teams.

It was amazing to be back out on the streets. The streets themselves were pretty bare but you would occasional find someone, out walking their dog, or someone who was trying to make it home. Every time they saw someone, that person's eyes would light up, they would begin saying thanks, and asking to shake hands or take pictures. Dave and the other members of Justice Forever were all used to it, the others, however, found it a little awkward, they would usually nod, or reply with a thanks, most of them weren't used to the kind of praise that the young heroes were getting. Chief among these was Mindy who would often turtle up, in response to the praise, usually she'd just do what the others did and say thanks, or give the person a nod...

It was about 12:30 when it began to lightly snow, there hadn't been a lot of snow this winter, but according to the weather channel they were in for a big blizzard soon. That was one of the reason Dave wanted to get out and start patrolling before the snow hit, so that everyone could get a little practice in, before they were buried by the blizzard.

"Anyone got anything?" Came Hit Girl's voice over the radio.

"No not really... the cunts must be laying low." Night Bitch replied.

"It's too damn cold!" Battle Guy whined, to a few mumbles of agreement.

"You see anything from where you're at, Bullseye?" The Fallen asked.

"Um... I got a couple on the third floor, of the apartment across from me, going at it... and theirs another guy on the second floor, who looks to be feverishly masturbating,. Also I see some guy in an alley across the street rubbing one out between two dumpsters." Bullseye replied with an amused chuckle.

"What in the hell is with everybody? Is someone handing out free samples of boner medication?" Katie asked with a giggle.

"Probably... Wait! You said that theirs a guy outside masturbating?" Asskicker asked after a moment.

"Yep." Bullseye replied merrily.

"Dude, his dick is gonna get frostbite." El Drogas laughed into the radio. Most of the group laughed in reply.

"This is a nice night. It's really calm, no one is out committing crime, it's a good first day... So Fallen, how are you going to celebrate later?" Night Bitch asked seductively.

"Um..." Came The Fallen's reply.

"He's probably going to bang Hit Girl... Again." Battle Guy interjected, with a laugh.

"Fuck off!" Hit Girl growled in reply.

"Enough! I don't wanna hear this conversation!" The Iron Lawman, huffed over the radio.

"Sorry about that." Night Bitch stated cheerfully as the group started to laugh.

"Aren't you a little young to be having sex?" The Zombie Huntress asked with a little curiosity.

"Oh for fucks sake!" Hit Girl growled over the radio. "Battle guy... do you have to tell every fucking person?"

"Come on... You're Hit Girl... If The Fallen isn't going to gloat about it, then I'm going to have to do it for him." Battle Guy replied.

"Oh my god!" Hit Girl sighed.

"So what positions have you tried?" Night Bitch asked with a giggle.

"We're not having this conversation." The Iron Lawman growled in reply.

"Grow the fuck up you guys!" Katie laughed.

"If you don't wanna hear, then switch channels. I'm just asking out of curiosity." Night Bitch stated whimsically.

"God damn, fucken kids..." They all hear, The Iron Lawman mutter as he changes to another channel.

"So... let's hear it." Night Bitch stated after a few moments of silence.

"I'm not saying it." Hit Girl growled in reply.

"Come on... I've been in your place, I know how he is... It's good to get perspective on things." Night Bitch chided with a giggle.

"I knew it! You were fucking Night Bitch!" Battle Guy shouted in surprise.

"God dammit!" The Fallen sighed wearily.

"How many people on this team have you fucked?" Madam Justice asked after a moment.

"Just you three!" The Fallen said in response.

"...and me." They all heard, Asskicker mutter to himself.

"Dude, your radio is still on." Battle guy said in a whisper.

"What?" Asskicker stated after a moment.

"Eat a dick." The Fallen chided.

"So it was just the three of us?" Madam Justice asked curiously.

"Yes... You are the only three woman I have ever fucked..." The Fallen replied, with a little annoyance.

"I have been known to play grab ass with Ace... but those are just rumors." The Fallen stated, seriously after a few moments.

Everyone burst out laughing, "Holy sweet Jesus! That made my night!" Ace laughed over the radio.

"Come on, Hit Girl... daddy's on another line. You don't need to be such a prude." Night Bitch, tried agian.

"I am not a prude! Why in the fuck does it matter so much?" Hit Girl sneered, getting defensive.

"Because, you haven't ever had any other lovers, and I think it would be good for you to get some perspective." Night Bitch replied sounding sympathetic.

"She's right you know." The Zombie Huntress, added.

"Not you too." Hit Girl whined.

"Fine I'll ask him instead..." Night Bitch, stated, "So Fallen, whats it like to be with such a young and inexperienced lady? I mean, she must be willing to try all kinds of kinky stuff, since she's never had the opportunity to try any of it before."

"Um..."

"NOT A FUCKING WORD!" Hit Girl hissed.

"Whats it feel like? I reckon it's gotten be a little... jarring." Night Bitch laughed.

"Answer the question man... You two are probably the only one besides team zombie, that are getting any action right now, so you might as well indulge us." Battle guy, added, as he joined into the conversation.

"So Bullseye... This remind you a lot of the military?" El Drogas interjected.

"Actually yes... a lot of chaps back in her majesties army, were quite talkative about their love lives." Bullseyes replied.

"Come on man... when it was you and Madam Justice, you talked about it all the time." Battle Guy tried again.

"What?" Madam Justice asked with a little surprise.

"Why? Why would you ever say that?" The Fallen whined aloud.

"Shit! Sorry forgot she was on the line." Battle guy replied with a giggle.

"Alright, if it will get you to shut the fuck up! She is the most amazing girl I have ever been with... now take that information and do with it, what you will!" The Fallen finally snapped.

"Aww... That's sweet." The Zombie Huntress stated.

"That is sweet..." Night Bitch agreed.

"Corner of Fifth and Maple! Three cars just pulled up and about twenty cunts got out! They're dragging a young man and woman with them!" Bullseye suddenly shouted over the radio.

"We're close!" The Iron Lawman, shouted in response as he switched his radio back on.

"We'll be there in about two minutes." Hit Girl, informed the others as her group broke into a sprint towards the cunts.

"Shit! We're about twenty minutes away." The Fallen shouted.

"We'll be there in four minutes." Katie stated as she spun the car around.

"Bullseye, what can you tell me?" Hit Girl shouted as her group ran.

"Twelve cunts, eight men dressed in suits... they look Asian... the cunts are armed with an assortment of weapons, I think the biggest I can see is a shotgun. The others are holding pistols and shotguns." Bullseye described, as he set up his rifle.

"Wait for us to make the first move, then you open fire." Mindy ordered as they rounded the corner, they were in an alley on the other side of the building from, where the criminals were.

"Asian guys... do you think they could be the Yakuza or Triad members?" El Drogas, asked over the radio.

"I don't know... first things first. We deal with the hostages." The Iron Lawman stated as they readied to round the corner and attack the criminals.

"They look like they're questioning them..." Bullseye began, but he was cut off by a sudden gunshot.

"Shit!" Mindy shouted as she rounded the corner. She saw an Asian looking man, fall to his side, his brains all over the pavement. Mindy broke into a sprint toward the guys, none of them were aware of her presence... as she got about fifteen feet away, she pulled out her handguns and fired into the suited men.

She managed to kill three of them. The rest of the guys, including the cunts, dove behind the cars. The hostage, lady, crawled away from the criminals, Mindy didn't have time to pay attention to her as she ran past her and drop kicked a cunt in the face.

Another cunt raised his gun to take a shot at Hit Girl, but his life was cut short as a bullet tore through his skull. Mindy's eyes shot to the roofs, she caught a quick glimpse of Bullseye's scope, as he fired again. She heard the criminals swear, as they started to spread out across the street.

She heard a hail of gunshots ring out from behind her, as Marcus and Team Zombie, lifter they're guns and fired. Marcus had his M4 while The Zombie Warrior and Huntress both had a assault rifle and pump action shotgun, respectively.

Mindy unsheathed her Bo staff and charged into the nearest cunt, driving her blade into his stomach. She heard The Zombie Huntress let out a yelp as she fired her shotgun, and the shot tore through a nearby cunt. She had a shocked look on her face. Mindy didn't have time to worry about her as one of the Asian guys charged forward, he kicked out at Hit Girl. This guy had skills, he was lashing out with his hands and feet, Hit Girl couldn't help but think about how stereotypical this was, an Asian knowing martial arts... anyway...

Hit Girl jumped into the air and stabbed with her staff, the blade pierced the guys shoulder. She drove him to the ground, as she returned to the earth, she quickly pulled her staff into two pieces, and used the piece that wasn't impaling the guy, to slice his neck.

"Hit Girl! Look out!" Bullseye shouted.

Hit Girl turned just in time to see a cunt with a sword begin to swing at her. Mindy's eyes widened in horror, and her life began flashing before her eyes, but it didn't make it very far, as the cunt suddenly lurched forward like he was hit by something in the back. Hit Girl looked at him for a second before she rolled to the side to avoid him falling on her. She looked over at his body and could see a long arrow sticking out of his back.

"Second story, balcony." Bullseye reported.

Hit girl looked up to the second floor of a nearby building, she saw a shadow standing there. She didn't have time to think about it, she shot to her feet and looked to the remaining criminals, she noticed a familiar armored SUV round the corner and begin driving toward them. One of the Asian guys saw the SUV pull up, he quickly dove over to the hostage lady and picked her up off the ground, he held her in front of himself like a human shield.

Hit girl looked over just long enough to see the rest of their team pile out of the SUV. Mindy quickly made the inference that Katie had gone to pick them up, before coming here.

"Let her go!" The Iron Lawman, growled as the heroes quickly surrounded the suited man and his hostage

"Come any closer and she dies!" The man hissed as he put a gun to the woman's head. Right as Hit Girl was thinking of what to do, an arrow flew through the air and hit the man right in the leg. He screamed in pain, his grip on the woman loosening just enough for her to pull away. Right as she escaped his grip a shot rang out, and the mans head exploded. Mindy knew immediately where the shot came from.

"Nice shot Bullseye." She stated plainly as she walked over to help the woman.

"That was an amazing shot." Ace praised as he scanned the building tops for Bullseye.

"Are you alright?" Hit Girl asked as she crouched next to the the hostage lady. This woman was young, she was obviously Asian, probably in her early twenties, she had long black hair with blue streaks in it, she also had pretty brown eyes.

"Yes, I am alright." The woman replied happily.

"Night Bitch, El Drogas, Asskicker, search the vehicles. The rest of you search the bodies. Take anything that might be useful." The Fallen ordered, as he approached Hit Girl and the woman.

"Is she alright?" He asked.

"Yeah she's fine." Hit Girl replied as she looked down the street to the second floor balcony, she saw the shadow figure standing there. "You talk to her. I'm going to be right back."

Hit Girl walked over to the balcony and looked up at the shadow. The figure vanished into the building then quickly appeared at one of the doors. Hit Girl quickly analyzed this new figure, they were around, five and a half feet tall, the wore and outfit similar to what Hawkeye wore in The Avengers, but this person also had a leather jacket on, as well as balaclava on over their face to hide themselves.

"Thanks for the help back there, that was a pretty nice shot." Hit Girl complimented, as she sheathed her Bo staff.

"Coming from you. It's an honor." Came a girls voice... a familiar girls voice.

"Hit Girl." Mindy stated as she extended a hand.

"Archer." The girl replied as she shook Mindy's hand.

"I've been looking for you guys." Archer stated as she finished shaking hands.

"Really?" Hit Girl asked with a smirk, she knew where this was going.

"Yes... I wanted to ask if I could join you? Be a hero, I mean." Archer asked nervously.

"You've definitely got the skills, and you did save my ass. I think that earns you an express pass... come on, let's go see the others." Hit Girl replied with a smile.

"Hey guys. We've got a new recruit." Hit Girl stated with a happy grin as they approached the group.

"We actually have two." The Fallen replied as he looked over at them.

"What?" Hit Girl asked, confused.

"Go ahead... tell her." Dave stated motioning to the young Asian woman.

"Those men, they came after me and my friend over there...we wanted to find the heroes of this town and offer our help... we didn't really know where to go. We tried looking around online, and when we finally found something that looked legitimate, our doors were kicked in and a bunch of those costumed guys stormed in and grabbed us... they thought we were part of your team... they kept asking about you." The woman explained.

"You were looking for us... you want to help us?" Hit Girl asked, curiously.

"Yes... my father was a martial arts master, living in Tokyo, he was contacted by a man, by the name of Frank D'Amico... he wanted special training, so we moved out here... we lived just outside the city, for the last few years. About three years ago, Frank D'Amico had my father killed, after he learned everything he could from him..." The young woman trailed off.

"...and what about him?" Hit Girl asked motioning towards the other dead hostage.

"He was, my friend. One of my only friends here in the city... I've known him for years." She stated with a few tears.

"I'm sorry for your loss..." Dave stated, almost immediately, empathizing with her.

"Look... I need to know right now... Do you still want to be a hero?" Hit Girl asked seriously.

"Yes." The young woman replied, with a nod.

"Then we can continue this conversation back at the headquarters." Hit Girl stated as she stood.

"Alright finish gathering all the stuff you can, and lets get out of here." Dave shouted to the group.

About twenty minutes later the group found themselves, back at the headquarters, there, Mindy finally asked their two new friends, their names.

"Eileigh Marr." Archer stated as she pulled off her balaclava, revealing a blonde haired blue eyed young girl. Mindy instantly recognized her, she was an athlete from Mindy's school. She was one of the top athletes in the school, she had won several state archery competitions. Mindy never really talked to her, but she remembered, her well. What Mindy remembered most about the girl, was that her father was one of the cops that Mother Russia killed on the day that Chris tried to rape Night Bitch.

"My name is Aiko, Aiko Fugiwara." The Asian woman stated.

"Well Aiko... Eileigh... welcome to the team." Mindy chirped happilly.

In the end they didn't find anything of use. They took all of the weapons and ammo from the criminals, but everything else was worthless.

There was a scene later that evening when Barbara started to freak out, she was hysterical about having killed a man. It took a little while to calm her down but eventually, she mellowed out.

It had been two weeks since then, and they had managed to gather a few more members, the first too join after Eiliegh and Aiko, was Crystal Conner, she was a twenty five year old former U.S. Army Ranger, she was white with dark hair that had blonde streaks in it. This woman was a hard ass, apparently her fifteen year old sister and her parents were murdered by a street gang down in Chicago, they got away with it because the judge was one of the gang members uncle. She snapped and killed the entire gang, as well as the judge, and she's been in hiding for almost a year now. Mindy was really excited to have her join. She wore a dark green soldier get-up, and her face was painted with black and green face paint to look like a demon, she also wore a black wig... her weapons consisted of a Desert Eagle, a Striker shotgun, A Barrett REC7 rifle, as well as two jet black Kukri machetes, and a black Ronin Magnum fighting Axe. Her superhero name is Major Babe.

A day later another woman joined the group, her name was Lisa, she was a Twenty-six year old Mossad officer, she had slightly darker skin, and black hair. She came to America to escape her past, she felt guilty for her partners death and just wanted to hide from the horrors of war... after Chris began his siege of the city she decided to take up arms and try to redeem herself. Her weapons consisted of a Smith & Wesson Model 59 handgun, Tar-21, and MP7, as well as a Secret Agent Tactical Ninja sword with three Survival Harpoon knives. She wore black pants and combat boots. A black leather jacket, with a red shirt underneath, as well as Military night-vision goggles. Her name superhero name is Agent Death.

Mindy had some fun out-fitting Aiko and Eileigh. She gave Eileigh some actual combat arrows and a tactical compound bow. She also started to train her how to use guns, she gave her two, Sig Sour P229R DAK pistols, as well as a Beretta 3032 Tomcat as a back-up pistol that she kept, strapped to her ankle. Mindy also gave her a hunting knife as a weapon of last resort.

Aiko, was just as fun to outfit. Her costume ended up looking like a mix between Stephanie Browns costume as Bat-girl and Selene's costume from Underworld, she didn't have a cape, but she did have a hood to hide her face. Her weapons consisted of a Katana, throwing knives and a tactical crossbow, Mindy began teaching her how to use various tips for the bolts, like explosive and poison tips. Mindy liked and hated this bitch at the same time. She was incredibly skilled, Mindy was not expecting Aiko to whoop her ass on the training mats. Mindy was surprised at first, but then remembered that Aiko said that her father was a martial arts masters so, she probably got training from him. That was the reason Mindy liked Aiko, the reason why she hated her, was that the skank would not stop flirting with Dave. For fucks sake, first Night Bitch now her...

Anyway... After about three or four days, Ace approached, Dave and Mindy about, some people he knew from the streets that might be willing to help. One was an ex mercenary, who is willing to do pretty much anything for a payment. His name was Andrew Michaels the guy was insanely tough, and was one insane motherfucker, but if there was anyone that could slaughter criminals without a seconds hesitation it was this guy. The other person was a street rat like Ace, her name was Jaina Ryan, her back story was a common one, she was an orphan who had to steal in order to survive, unlike most orphans though, she survived off of things she stole from criminals. She had amazing sneaking skills, and according to Ace she was insanely hot. She was a real life Cat woman, and Mindy knew that she wanted her on the team...

They asked Ace a few more question about these two possible recruits and quickly learned that he had a history with both of them... He was in a relationship with Jaina Ryan, until she learned about how he was a thug, then she stole half of his shit and left him, in the middle of the night. It was at that moment that Ace began to question his life choices, though the final nail in the coffin, came in the form of Andrew Michaels, who approached, him on the street one day and asked him about a building across the street, he wanted to know if the building was structurally sound. The building that he was asking about, happened to be where Ace and his gang lived. He told Andrew that it was a piece of shit, ten seconds later Andrew walked into the building, and a moment later he walked out and the building exploded and then collapsed, killing everyone inside. It was after that, that Ace gave up his life of crime, and decided he wanted to be superhero.

Mindy and Dave quickly came up with a game plan, and they both left with Ace to find these two individuals. They first went to talk with Andrew, he wasn't hard to find, Ace simply led them to were he lived and they rang the door bell.

To say that meeting Andrew for the first time, was an experience, would be an understatement. He opened the door with a tired look on his face, The guy was huge, he was almost six and half feet tall and probably weighed a good two hundred and fifty pounds, he was all muscle and was built like an Olympic weight lifter He had dark brown hair and dark eyes, on his face he had plenty of scars and he was missing his right hand pinky. He took one look at the three young hero's all dressed in their costumes, and recoiled like he'd been shot. "Holy shit! They've come for me!" He shouted as he dove back across his living room and behind his couch.

"Andrew Michaels, we're just here to talk." Ace stated as he raised his hands up, in surrender.

"Time to Die Motherfuckers!" Andrew shouted as he stood with a shotgun, he didn't hesitate for a second, he quickly pulled the trigger, but all the gun did was click... He pulled the trigger a few more times, and the gun still didn't go off. "Well shit!"

"I think you need to reload." Dave stated sarcastically, as he walked in.

"Don't' be a fucking smart-ass. What do you want?" Andrew asked casually as he inspected his weapon.

"We wanted to see if you'd be willing to join us." Mindy stated plainly.

"Join you... what would I get if I join you?" He asked as he scratched his head with the barrel of the gun.

"That was fast." Ace said with a huff.

"You'd be helping out a good cause." Dave stated, with pride.

"Okay... okay... I like good causes, so whats the pay?" He asked giving them some crazy eyes.

"Well... I'll tell you what... You can take whatever weapons and armor, you get off the guys you kill, and you can either keep them, or sell them to me." Mindy explained.

"Oh... sounds pretty nice, not a huge payout, but it would give me some steady work..." Andrew spoke to himself, as he subconsciously caressed his shotgun.

"Plus... think of all the guys you get to kill, and as a hero, think of all the ladies that will be crawling over themselves to get at you..." Ace explained with a grin.

"That's the deal breaker! Fuck it! I'm in!" Andrew shouted cheerfully as he threw his shotgun onto the couch. As it landed it went off.

"Jesus!" "Fuck!" "Damn!" Dave, Ace, and Mindy all shouted as they jumped back...

"Ooohhhh! I guess I had the safety on." Andrew said with a shrug as he walked out.

"But that gun doesn't even have a..." Mindy began but Dave simply turned her around and they followed after him.

A little bit later they tracked down Jaina, she was much harder to find but was just as easy to convince... Hell, Mindy was sure if they said the exact same thing, it would have still convinced her. Mindy had too admit, Ace was right, Jaina was really pretty, she looked to be Asian American, she had olive skin, with short black spiky hair, she was around 5' 2 and probably weighed only one hundred pounds. She was really thin. In the end Dave was the one that was able to convince her to join, he offered her a home, where she could feel safe, she could work with a team, that would watch her back, plus she wouldn't have to steal in order to survive. In the end Jaina cracked and decided she'd join them, she quickly packed what little she had and followed them.

It was two days later, when the second to last new member of there team joined, and that's when Andrew and Jaina's shit arrived.

Andrew was dressed like a fucking beast, He wore standard Riot gear that was painted crimson red on the armor with black cloth for the rest. He also had on a black executioners hood, with a helmet underneath that. Andrew was armed to the fucking teeth, he has a Battle Axe, two sawn-off shotguns, which are strapped to his thighs, two m1911's in shoulder mounts, and a machete strapped to his back like Dave's. He had a shit load of knives sheathed all over his body, plus he's stuffed several packs on his body with a few frag grenades, a few concussion grenades, and a shit load of ammo, he also has a bunch of zip ties, his main weapon of choice is an AA-12 shotgun with a box mag. His superhero name is The Bloody Executioner.

Jaina on the other hand is dressed almost exactly like Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises, except without the goggles. She had some knowledge about fire arms, but she isn't really a fighter. Mindy outfitted her with a silenced Marui MK23, with a laser sight. She also gave her an iron reaver claw on one hand and a push dagger for the other. Mindy also gave her some throwing stars. Her superhero name is Shadowcat.

The second to last member of their team was also the teams computer specialist. She contacted Dave on his lap top, about a week ago. Eventually, he decided to meet her. Dave, Mindy, and Doctor Gravity went out to meet her. They met in a back alley, behind an old abandoned factory. They found her dancing around in the alley, she was also dressed very much like Catwoman except her outfit is dark blue, not black, she also didn't have the goggles, and instead of high-heeled shoes, like Jaina, she wore black toe shoes. Mindy guessed it was to allow her to move around easier, without having to worry about breaking a heel.

"Chyort voz'mi! You scared me!" She shouted in surprise, as she noticed them.

"What does that mean?" Doctor Gravity asked.

"It's Russian, it means 'Oh shit!' or 'Damn it!'" Mindy said with a smile.

"You speak Russian?" Dave asked curiously.

"Duh." Mindy replied with a roll of her eyes.

Dave and Doctor Gravity both shared a look of confusion before turning back to the girl. "Sorry we scared you, I guess that means your Russian." Doctor Gravity stated with a smile.

"Yes... I hail from the beautiful lands of Mother Russia." The young girl replied with a smile, she had a thick Russian accent.

"Cool, nice to meet you. I'm Hit Girl, This is Doctor Gravity, and the gloomy looking motherfucker, is The Fallen." Mindy said with a smile as she shook hands with the girl.

"I am Cyber Girl, I get my inspiration from you." Cyber Girl stated with a little embarrassment.

"It's always nice to have fans... so we heard you're looking to join." Mindy asked, as Cyber Girl shook hands with Dave and Donald.

"Yes... Me and my brother, move to this country a few years ago, we live here in peace until just a few weeks ago me and my girl friend were walking out of mall, when we were jumped. They stole our money and shot my girlfriend in the stomach. She has been in the hospital for many days. The bullet tore through her intestines, and she has fallen ill, they are not quite sure when she will make a recovery... I go to see her everyday and it hurts to see her, and know that I'm not doing something to help, this is why I ask to join. I wish to help, and I cannot think of a better way the this." She finished with a little sadness.

Mindy could tell that his girl is a very cheerful person, it's very easy to tell what kind of person you are when you're sad, this girl is just like Dave, sad, isn't a natural look on either of them.

"That sounds pretty rough. We would love for you to join." Dave stated sympathetically.

Cyber Girl's face lit up when she heard that. "Thank you! You will not regret this."

"So with a name like Cyber Girl, I assume you have some skill with computers?" Mindy asked.

"Yes, I had, lots of free time growing up, my parents died when I was thirteen, and my brother was always away, so I had plenty of time to tinker on the computer. My two great passions are gymnastics and computers, I was majoring in computer science, in college." Cyber girl explained.

"So you're a hacker... are you any good?" Mindy inquired, curiously.

"I do not wish to... tute my own horn... but I have been known to fiddle around with some electronics. One time I hacked a game of Call of Duty, so that whenever I got a kill not only did I get a point but the other team would lose a point. It was pretty funny to listen to the angry messages they sent me." Cyber Girl replied with a smile.

"Cool... I think this pretty much rounds out the team." Mindy stated with a wide grin.

"Sure the fuck does." Dave nodded.

After their meeting, They took Cyber Girl back to the headquarters, she was ecstatic to meet the other members of the team. It was then that they all told her there names and they learned her real name was Natasha Dragunov. Natasha had shoulder length dark red hair, and deep blue eyes. She was about five and a half feet tall, and weighed about one hundred and twelve pounds. She was really happy to meet everyone, though Dave could tell the moment Mindy took off her wig and face-mask, that Natasha probably had a thing for blondes. Dave had to stifle a giggle every time Natasha looked over at Mindy, or Eileigh.

The group spent all day every day together, they were always working or planing. A few problems quickly became evident. Like the fact that Andrew was a complete asshole, and the fact the he quickly made both Todd and Marty his bitches didn't help either.

A few days into the week Natasha's gear arrived, she ordered a lot of high tech computer stuff, on top of her new weapons. Her weapons included a MP5KA4, two Skorpion Sub-machine guns, a tactical crossbow, two SIG-Sauer P230 handguns, a tactical dagger , a combat knife, and a RUI Tactical Kukri Machete. This girl liked to accessorize.

Dave and Mindy had a discussion during the week about the surprising number of highly trained killers that had joined their group, it was odd.

Dave was enjoying the good life, no longer did he have to berate Todd for his short comings, Andrew did that for him, and he always did it in a cheerful sarcastic manner. Not to mention Todd and Marty had the hots for basically every new chick that joined the team. Mindy became fast friends with Natasha, Jaina and Eileigh. It took Dave a little while to recognize her from their school but he eventually, figured out where he'd seen her before.

There was also a lot of funny drama between Jaina and Ace, the two were constantly bickering, arguing about shit that didn't really make any sense to outsiders. What was weird about the two, was that they both found a mutual friend in Aiko, so whenever they would fight, one would storm off to their room while the other would bitch to Aiko.

It was toward the end of the week that, that Donald and Miranda (Night Bitch) approached Dave about a name for their team... the three discussed it and finally decided on a good name. Later that night when everyone had gathered, they decided to tell them.

"So guys... it's been an interesting few days... we've gone out fighting together, we've basically spent this whole time living together... I think it's about time we gave this team a name..." Dave stated to the group.

"What are we gonna call it?" Dominic asked.

"In honor of the man that formed the world's first crime fighting team, we believe that we should call our group 'Justice Forever'" Dave replied.

The group sat in silence for a few moments. Even the new guys who weren't in the original group, had heard of Justice Forever.

"I think the Colonel would have liked that." Marty stated after a moment.

"Does anyone have any objections?" Dave asked after another moment.

"No? Alright then... Justice Forever..." Dave said proudly.

Finally Mindy's recollection, arrived to earlier that day. It was about 9:30 at night and Natasha was sitting in the headquarters's living room, playing on her lap top, when suddenly a chat window opened up.

"What is this?" She asked herself as Mindy walked into room, eating a big pretzel.

"Hey, Duncan and Miranda are back from the mall, they've got food." Mindy said with a smile as she took another bite of her pretzel.

"Umm... I think we might have a problem." Natasha stated with a little worry.

"Whats wrong?" Mindy asked as she walked over to sit next to her.

"I've been using my lap top to track, down the hacker that Chris has working for him... and I think he might have found me instead."

"What?" Mindy shouted, as her eyes began shooting around the room looking for potential danger.

"No I don't mean he knows where we are... I was very careful, with my set up. I think he found my computer. He's chatting with me right now." Natasha explained.

Mindy looked at the chat box.

"You are a hard person to find." came the first line of text, the name of the sender was XwormholeX.

"What do you want?" Natasha typed in reply.

"To show you something." Wormhole replied.

Suddenly a video opened up, it was live streaming, an over view of a garage. Mindy saw a single car sitting in the middle of the garage, with the hood open.

"That is my brother's garage." Natasha whispered as her eyes widened in horror.

A few moments later a very large man walked into frame, carrying some tools.

"That is my brother." Natasha whispered.

The large man picked up a tool and began working on the engine. After a second, a guy wearing lots of urban camo snuck into frame, the guy clearly has two knives in his hands.

"Oh my god." Natasha cried as she brought her hands up to her mouth. Mindy watched intently as the camo wearing man walked up behind her brother and said something. Natasha's brother turned around and the came wearing man quickly stabbed him in the gut.

"No!" Natasha screamed with tears streaming down her face. Her brother fell to his knees as the camo wearing cunt, turned around and raised his arms triumphantly over his head. He looked up at the camera and flipped them off. Just as he was about to say something however, Natasha's brother rose to his feet with a wrench in his hand, and smashed the cunts face with it. The cunt stumbled away and brought a knife up and aimed it at her brother. Her brother realized just a moment before Mindy did that those weren't regular knives their G.R.A.D knife guns. They heard a shot ring out as a bullet flew out of the knife. Her brother quickly dove behind a nearby table...

"Come on!" Mindy shouted as she shot to her feet and began sprinting towards the armory.

Natasha is quickly on her heels, the two make it into the armory and begin throwing on their costumes and gathering their weapons.

"What going on?" Marcus asked as he walked into the room.

"The cunts are attacking Natasha's brother at his garage. Me and her are going there now, get everyone ready, and we'll text you the location on our way!" Mindy shouted as she pulled on her face-mask.

Marcus quickly nodded and whipped out his phone.

"You ready?" Mindy asked as Natasha finished grabbing her guns.

"Yes." She replied, a cold look of determination on her face.

"Let's go." Mindy said as the two ran into the garage and hopped onto Mindy's Ducati.

"BE CAREFUL!" Mindy heard Marcus shout after them, as the sped out of the garage and onto the street.

About halfway there, Natasha texted the location to Dave. Her mind was in a haze, no matter what happened she couldn't lose her brother too.

After a moment the two arrived at the garage, gunshots were ringing out from inside. Mindy and Natasha ran for the side entrance. They were immediately, in the garage, where the shots were coming from.

Mindy scanned the area, she immediately, saw the cunt hidden behind some tables, he was just out of reach, and there was no way to get a good shot off on him. She instead looked for Natasha's brother, her eyes caught movement in a side office, she grabbed Natasha's hand and pulled her towards the office, the two skillfully dove in and landed in front of her brother.

"Where in the fuck did you two come from?" He asked plainly, not sounding worried at all. This guy was fucking massive, he was at least seven feet tall and had to weigh two hundred and thirty pounds, and all of that was muscle. He had black hair and black eyes, his eyes were piercing, he obviously had a military background, only soldiers had eyes like that.

"Brother!" Natasha whined as she pulled him into a hug, then pulled away and quickly began inspecting his wound.

"Natasha! What is this? This is what you've been doing every night?" He asked in serious tone. He also had a thick Russian accent.

"Yes brother. I have been trying to find the men who attack me and Elena." She quickly explained.

Another shot quickly tore through the office. "Fucking hell!" Natasha's brother, sighed as he grabbed one of her Skorpions.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY GARAGE!" He roared as he shot a few rounds towards the cunt.

"Hit Girl, this is my brother Andrei, Andrei this is Hit Girl." Natasha quickly introduced, each other.

"Nice to meet you." Andrei said in a calm voice as he squatted down next to them.

"Same." Mindy replied as she peaked over to look for the assassin.

"Do you know how to use those?" Andrei asked Mindy.

Mindy looked at his and gave and a 'please' look.

"You draw his attention I'll circle around and kill the fucker!" Mindy explained quickly.

"Fine! Go!" He said as he stood and fired at the cunts position. Mindy quickly sprinted out of the office and dove behind some tables, she was about twenty feet from the would-be assassin. She sat quietly waiting for Andrei and Natasha to draw his attention again, after a few moments they both stood and fired, Mindy quickly bounded from behind cover, and charged toward his position, she drew her staff, and quickly dove over the the tables that the cunt was using for cover. She looked around but he wasn't there.

"Guys! He's gone!" Mindy shouted as she scanned the room.

"Where do you think he went?" Natasha asked as she and her brother walked out of the office.

"I don't kn..." Mindy started to say but a loud roar broke her concentration. They all turned to look at one of the closed garage doors, after a moment, Andrei recognized the loud roar.

"Run!" He shouted as a large truck crashed through the door.

They all dove down a hallway as the truck slammed into a support pillar.

"Christ!" Natasha whined, as they all stood and looked at the ruined garage.

"Huesos!" Andrei stated angrily.

Mindy's eyes quickly fell on the back of the truck, there was a large trunk with a timer on it. "Shit! Run!" Mindy shouted as the two siblings noticed the large trunk.

As Mindy opened that back door, a sound caught her ears, it was the sound of sirens. And then...

.

.

.

"Wake up!" Natasha screamed.

"Come on Mindy, wake up!" Mindy looked up at her and blinked a few times.

"Thank goodness." Natasha let out a sigh.

Mindy could barely see Andrei looming over the two of them, she could see splinters of wood strewn about the place, there were a few small fires and Mindy could see a lot of broken pipes in the ceiling, there was water spilling down towards them. Mindy could barely hear anything there was a loud ringing in her ears, she must have had a concussion.

"What happened?" Mindy asked as she brought a hand up too her head.

"The truck had a bomb in it, the garage exploded, The three of us were blown into the next building, sadly it's under going construction and you fell threw a hole in the floor. You hit a few pipes on the way down and your ankle is pretty swollen." Natasha explained as she helped Mindy to her feet.

Mindy let out a yelp as she put pressure on her foot, the pain was immense, Mindy was sure that she had probably twisted it pretty good. "You've been unconscious for about twenty minutes, we were about to leave you." Andrei stated, the two of them had a lot of burn marks and Natasha had a pretty big cut on her forehead but other wise the siblings were alright.

"We need to get too a hospital." Mindy said with a wince, as she tried to take a step.

"Here." Natasha replied as he supported Mindy's weight and handed her brother another one of her guns. "Keep us safe, brother."

"Keep up." He replied as he began to lead them out of the building.

The three made it to the street, they could see fire fighters and cops surrounding the building next door, but there were also a few fire fighters just down the street putting out a small fire. The three of them snuck by the small fire and Mindy was able to see that someone had found her Ducati and blown it up.

"Fuck!" She whined as they hobbled down a back alley.

The three made there way to where Andrei and Natasha lived, they only lived a block from Andrie's garage, so they stopped there so Andrei could get his truck. "Does your phone work?" Mindy asked Natasha.

"Yes... but I haven't been able to reach anyone, all the calls I make go to voice-mail. Its weird." Natasha replied.

After a moment Andrei drove out of the garage in his truck. "Let's go..."

The two ladies piled into the truck and drove towards the nearest hospital. They were about halfway there when suddenly a Humvee pulled out in front of them.

"What is this?' Natasha asked wearily.

"I do not know." Andrei replied as his hand slowly fell to the gear shifter.

Mindy watched as a soldier got out of the Humvee and walked over towards the truck. He stopped and tapped on the window, motioning for Andrei to roll in down. Andrei hesitantly complied.

"You need to get home." Came a familiar voice.

Mindy looked over at the soldier, she immediately recognized the mans goatee. "Harper!"

"The hospitals been destroyed, you need to get back home." He explained.

"Destroyed... how?" Mindy asked, wide eyed.

"Later." Harper replied.

"Wait... you can't mean that the hospital is gone... my girlfriend Elena she was there, she..." Natasha, started to panic.

"Your lover is just fine miss Dragunov, your fellow heroes managed to get to her in time." Harper explained.

"What?" Both Mindy and Natasha said at the same time.

"Get home. They need you there." Harper ordered as he returned to his Humvee.

"Fuck!" Mindy shouted as she quickly, gave Andrei directions on where to go.

Eight minutes later they were at the headquarters. The garage was open and they could see movement inside.

Mindy and the others hopped out of the truck, Natasha quickly went to support Mindy as she hobbled into the garage.

"Mindy, Natasha... thank, Christ!" Katie sighed, with relief when she saw them.

"What the fuck happened too you guys?" Mindy asked wide eyed. They all looked terrible, cuts and bruises, Peter was nursing a bleeding head. Crystal had a black eye and a huge gash across her cheek. Jaina was leaning on Ace, both of them were covered in cuts and bruises, Ace had a split lip, that he was holding a cloth too. Aiko was sitting in the open car door of one of the SUV, she had a gunshot wound to her shoulder, she was holding pressure to it. A moment later, Duncan appeared with a first aid kit and some tweezers, and began to fish for the bullet in her shoulder. They all looked horrible, she even saw, tough as nails, Andrew laying on his back in the center of the room, he was all sprawled out and he had some blood pouring out of his mouth.

"Where are the others?" Mindy asked, as worry began to build in her voice.

"There all fine, they're in the rooms, last I heard they were setting up one of the rooms for your girlfriend, Natasha." Crystal stated with a little smile.

"She's alright?" Natasha asked, her face lighting up.

"Yeah, just follow the voices. Some doctor brought some stuff to set up an IV for her." Crystal said trying her hardest not to wince in pain.

Mindy and the Russian siblings wandered further into the warehouse, Mindy caught a glimpse of Dominic in the armory putting weapons away, he had taken off most of his costume and was just down to a shirt and pants, Mindy could tell the he must have hurt his leg, because he walked with a noticeable, hobble.

They got to a hallway that led to some of the bedrooms, Marcus, Marty, Todd and Miranda were all gathered outside an open door.

"Mindy!" Marcus, sighed with relief as he walked over to hug her.

"Is she in there?" Natasha asked as passed Mindy and Marcus and walked towards the door.

"Yeah, she's in there... the doc, says that it was pretty close, but she should be alright." Miranda said with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank god!" Natasha sighed with relief as her and Andrei walked into the room.

"Where's Dave?" Mindy asked, after a moment.

"Oh fuck. I don't know where he went." Marty replied as he looked around.

"I thinks he's in one of the bathrooms, Eiliegh and Lisa went with him, he's pretty banged up." Todd explained after a moments thought.

"Thanks." Mindy said as she began hobbling down the hall, Marcus was quickly at her side, helping her too walk. He was pretty bruised up himself, he had a few cuts on his face and Mindy could see some bloody spots on his shirt. They hobbled past the room with Natasha's girlfriend in it, Mindy glanced over just in time to see an exhausted looking blonde woman, caressing Natasha's hair. She also saw the same doctor that Harper had sent after the prison incident, talking with Andrei.

After a few moments they made it to Dave and Mindy's bathroom. Eileigh was standing outside the closed door. "There you are! I was worried about you." She stated happily as Mindy approached.

"Thanks. Is he in there?" Mindy asked as she unwrapped Marcus' arm from around her, and gave him an appreciative look.

"Yeah... Lisa is trying to stitch him up, I couldn't watch..." Eileigh admitted.

"Thanks for taking care of him." Mindy thanked her as she hobbled over and opened the door.

She walked in and found Dave standing shirtless in the shower stall, he was facing away from the door and he was leaning against the wall. Mindy could see Lisa, on her knees behind him, picking pieces of metal out of his lower back. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and across his upper back was a long gash, what was bleeding pretty steadily. On his lower back Dave had a large burn mark, with numerous small cuts, that Lisa was pulling shrapnel out of.

"Is he going to be alright?" She asked, both of them turned to look at her.

"He'll be fine, he's lucky that his nerve endings are all fucked up, otherwise he wouldn't be standing." Lisa stated as she pulled the last of the shrapnel from his back.

"I can sow him up... Thank you." Mindy stated as Lisa stood and looked at her.

She gave her a good looking over before replying. "Okay." She handed Mindy the first aid kit and walked out.

Dave took a step forward and pulled Mindy into a deep kiss. "Are you alright?" He asked, as she pulled away from the kiss.

"I'm fine... what happened?" She asked.

"I'll tell you later." Dave replied, as he kissed her again.

From there the two young lovers stripped naked and stepped into the shower...

* * *

-End flashback-

Mindy stood in the living room for a few moments before wandering into the kitchen. She found Andrei standing there leaning against the counter.

"How's your sister, and her girlfriend?" Mindy asked.

"They will be fine..." Andrei replied his voice cold and distant.

"Are you alright?" She asked, as she noticed his cold demeanor.

"Those fucking animals, attacked my sister this night, they came after me to get to her, they attacked hospital to get at her girlfriend... these bastards must pay." He growled in reply.

"Well... we've got plenty of guns, if you wanna little help?" Mindy inquired.

"I will... have to talk it over with my sister... know that I appreciate the offer and will give it thought." Andrei replied calmly.

"That's all I ask." Mindy stated, with a little smile as she made herself a glass of water, and returned to her and Dave's room.

She found him sitting on the bed, he had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Hey." She stated with a little smile as she sat next to him.

"Hey." Dave replied as his trance broke.

"You ready to tell me what happened?" Mindy asked as she took a sip of water, and then offered it to Dave.

"Sure..." Dave replied as he happily accepted the drink. "Just don't be surprised if I start swearing a lot..."

_That's it. Chapter 20 is done! And man is my hand disfigured! Let me know what you think and once again, I appreciate, all of the OC's people have offered me, let me know if you have any questions and I also have a question... for the next chapter, do you guys want me to tell you exactly what happened at the hospital or would you prefer to just have a brief recap, since you kinda know how it ends? Let me know, and look forward to the next chapter, sometime soon... also if you feel like I didn't do a good enough job with your OC's let me know, I always open to criticism and the like..._

_V2... The criminal orginizations have finally arrived let me know if you have any interesting bad guys for me... always looking for evil mob bosses..._


	21. Chapter 21

_Moving on to chapter 21... I've got a lot of good ideas, for the story. But it's going to take some time to get them set up... I really appreciate all the support... and I hope you enjoy... let me know what you think and pm me if you have any cool ideas, I plan on keeping this story alive for a while..._

_(I do have an overarching storyline... but there is a lot of open space, that I need to fill with action, drama, and comedy... so let me know if you have any ideas) also because this is a long story. Ocs will have to come and go... you all understand... and before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, know that I do not treat character deaths lightly, so even if your oc does end up dying... know that they will go out with a bang... with that being said, I am always open to new characters, both good and evil... I decided to go with an average recap of the hospital incident, since the vote was pretty evenly split._

_I own nothing... not Kickass, and not the Music... just thought I'd get that out there just to be safe._

**Fall of a Hero, Rise of a Legend.**

Chapter 21

Mindy watched in anger as the video played out before her... The video depicted two cars, pulling up in front of a hospital and about six cunts jumping out and running inside.

The video was being taken from the hospital entrance camera, Chris' hacker had taken it, and uploaded it to the internet... kinda like a sick, home movie..

After a few moments the cunts exited the building, dragging a young blonde haired woman with them. She looked terrible, she looked like she was sick, and she was dressed in a hospital gown... it was Natasha's girlfriend.

The young blonde girl looked so tired, and yet, she still put up one helluva fight. She kicked and screamed and bit... she was trying her best to escape, but to no avail, two cunts had her by the wrists and were dragging her towards their car.

Right before they reached the cars, a few shots rang out. One of the cunt's heads exploded. The two cunts that were dragging the young girl immediately threw her too the ground and raised there guns and started to shoot at something off camera.

It was then that the camera shot changed over too to a wide view of the front of the hospital... this shot was taken from a security camera across the street.

Mindy could see, her comrades pull up in the armored SUV's, and jump out... she could just barely make out, Duncan leaning out of one of the windows, she guessed that he was the one who took the first shot.

She saw a few of her comrades take up position behind the SUV's, while about four of them charged towards the cunts... Mindy could make out, Dave, Marty, Lisa, and Andrew, as the ones, charging forward.

The camera shot switched back over too, the hospital entrance an she watched as Andrew tore ahead of the pack with both his sawn-off shotgun in his hands, he quickly jumped on top of one of the cunt's cars, and fired off all four rounds. He killed three of the cunts and injured another. Just as the cunts raised there weapons to shoot him, Dave dove over the car and rolled into the two uninjured cunts he lashed out with his swords and quickly decapitated both of them. Lisa and Marty, quickly followed as Lisa went to check on the young girl and Marty, finished off the injured cunt with his tactical hatchet.

Lisa picked the young girl up off the ground and began marching her away, towards their cars. She saw Dave and Andrew standing over the dead cunts. She guessed that Marty had run over to help Lisa off camera. A moment later something flew by the two of them and hit a pillar that was only four of five meters away from them... whatever it was caused the entrance camera to go dead...

The shot switched back to the wide view and Mindy got a good view of about eight, SUV pulling up on the street, about thirty guys got out, all dressed in bullet proof armor and balaclava. One of them had an RPG, he fired it towards the entrance of the hospital, Mindy could barely see Dave and Andrew go flying into the air. The video replayed and went into slow motion, this time as the two flew through the air, little arrows appeared on screen to follow their descent back to earth...

"Fucking editors!" Mindy thought to herself as all of the masked criminals opened fire on her comrades.

Things pretty much went as followed after that. Dave and Andrew stumble to their feet, and dive into the cars... the heroes try to shoot back but fail miserably and decide to run for it, so they all piled into the SUV's and tore away from the scene. About half of the masked guys get back into their cars and give chase, while the rest lay back and watch as a dump truck rolls past them, then turns and drives straight into the hospital. A moment later one guy dressed in a costume comes running out of the hospital, once he's far enough away, the dump-truck explodes and like that, the front half of the hospital vanishes, and the video ends.

The video was posted about an hour after the hospital exploded and by now it had gone super viral. Everything that she saw on the video coincided with what Dave had told her about. According to him, Marty walked in and found Natasha's laptop, and it had a picture of Natasha's girlfriend, on it, with the words "...and shes next!" written underneath it.

The group quickly made a collective decision to head for the hospital and try to rescue her... they managed to rescue her, but were quickly forced to retreat... they got into a car chase which ended with them being cornered and having to get out and fight. They ended up in a firefight that ended with the criminals retreating... everyone got shot to shit but thanks to the bulletproof armor no one suffered any huge injuries.

Dave and Andrew both had concussions and Dave's jacket burst into flames... when the rocket exploded next to him, so he had to take it off.

Mindy went to sleep with these thoughts... she kept replaying the battle in her head over and over... they should have guessed that they were walking into an ambush. They should have been more prepared, but they weren't, she had been teaching them how to fight, how to attack, not defend. Once they were cornered all their training meant nothing.

For the first time since, they started dating, Dave didn't sleep with her... he wanted too, but the burns on his back stopped him from laying down, plus with all the other wounds, he found it nearly impossible to just lie still. It was pretty much the same for everybody... Mindy slept on and off all night, every time she would wake up, she could hear somebody moving around outside... everyone was restless, and she didn't blame them.

The group had never lost a fight before, never been forced to run away... it was hard on them, it was hard on her too. Mindy hated to lose, they saved two people tonight, but who knows how many died in the hospital.

* * *

-The Next Day-

The next day, brought some interesting turn of events. First off, Andrei decided to join the team. After discussing it with his sister he believed that it was prudent that these criminals be destroyed as soon as possible.

It took Natasha and Marty exactly twenty minutes to come up with a name and costume for him. In the end they settled on a costume like Deadpool but it was Grey and black, and he would wear a plated Kevlar vest underneath it. They decided that his superhero name would be Mad Man. Andrei didn't really care... the only thing he seemed interested in was his weapons, and boy did Mindy have fun filling out that order.

His weapons consisted of a unique Russian prototype M45D tactical shotgun, an Lahti L-39 "Norsupyssy" anti-tank rifle, an RG-6/6G30 40mm grenade launcher, a Smith & Wesson Model 629 Classic handgun, and a Desert Eagle Mark I. His melee weapons were, Tactical trench knives Two Scimitars, Combat knives, a tactical hatchet, and brass knuckles. This guy was really packing some major firepower, and after the day they had been through, Mindy didn't think that was such a bad thing.

Another interesting thing occurred, Harper stopped by. He didn't stay long, just stopped by long enough to tell them two things, one was that the government had finally decided on who they would send to act as Justice Forever's handler. Harper assured them that they would still be in control of their team, and that this person was only there to help in the fight against the criminal organizations. This person would act as their handler. He would give them missions, help to keep them coordinated and he would accompany them on any assignments that involved a potential run-in with high up, members of the criminal factions. He would tag along to make sure that elimination of these individuals went off without a hitch.

The other was too inform them of a squad of individuals that had been sent to destroy them. The whole team gathered around as Harper passed out dossiers on this new threat.

The group members looked over it. "The first mans name is Victor Favula aka Cain the Nightmare, He's at the top of several dozen most wanted lists, and there is a fifty million dollar bounty on his head, if our information if correct about this guy, he is responsible for the death of just under six thousand people, all over the world."

"Are you fucking kidding?" Katie asked looking up at him in shock.

"I'm afraid I'm not. This guy had been fighting across the planet for twenty-seven years... and if we're right... he's only thirty-two." Harper explained, in a solemn voice.

"He was a child soldier?" Duncan asked.

"We believe so... this man has no history, Victor is the name he uses for business transactions, but besides that, Cain is the name he goes by... this guy is insanely good... He had survived six drone strikes, and three ground based assassination attempts. He is the leader of this group." Harper continued.

"The next man is Hamski Romanov, aka, Chainsaw Maniac, He's a death row escapee, who was arrested for the ruthless slaughter of thirty-two people in Russia. He's a sexual sadist, and he gets off on torture, we also think that he has a fetish know as Dacryphilia, basically, he becomes aroused at the sight of ones tears..." Harper stated with a stale look on his face.

"Moving on..." Mindy urged after a moment of silence.

"Next we have Jonathan Levare, formally of France... He calls himself The Apocalypse Demon... Not much is known about him other than that he is the groups lieutenant. He is a master of strategy, particularly Roman military tactics, weapons, and torture devices." Harper said with a shake of his head.

"This next one should be near and dear to everyone's hearts... do you all remember the N.Y. Ripper?" Harper asked.

The group member let out a collective groan. The N.Y. Ripper was a guy that traveled all over the state of New York killing prostitutes and police. He managed to kill twenty-eight prostitutes, and twelve cops, over the course of a year before he vanished, about a year and a half ago.

"Yeah well... we think he's a member of this group. After him we've got The Night Mutilator... you've probably heard of him too." Harper explained.

Most of the group had heard of him... he was a masked murderer down in California, who killed, like twenty people... all the while he was taunting cops... about six months ago... he disappeared.

"After him we've got, Jimmy Boyle... aka The Irish Predator... he's and ex enforcer for several Irish families. This guy is a fucking monster... we think he has a conditions that's the equivalent of blood rage... the bloodier a fight gets the more brutal he becomes... with that being said... he beats the life out of men... he rapes the life out of woman... and I'm not kidding... We have evidence that he has used some sort of spiked or edged object to violate woman... and he keeps violating them until they die..." Harper stated in a serious tone, locking eyes with a few of the female members of the group.

"Last but not least, we have Zachary Hale, aka Hell Beast... he's was an underground fighter who killed about twelve people in the ring... eventually he killed his boss and joined up with Kane... this guy is fucking massive... he stands about six and a half feet tall and weighs about two hundred and eighty pounds."

"Damn! This is going to suck!" Marty whined, he received a few nods of agreement.

"The group calls itself The Order of Carnage. They will be moving into the city soon... once they get here, they will take command of Chris' operation. They will take him under their wing, and Cane will turn him into a weapon... Chris is young and easily influenced, Cain is a genius, and these criminal groups are paying him and his mercenaries a shit load of money to act as their attack dogs. We have a slight advantage, because we know how the group will act... they will take all of the criminals that are in the city and turn them into and army... That army will closely resemble an ancient roman army... Cane is the Legatus... while the members of his 'inner circle' act as his Praetorian. While the rest of their army will be legionnaires. If you take out the Legatus the army will collapse... that's how they will be trained and that's how you will beat them." Harper explained.

Most of the group let out weary sighs, as they continued to study up on the dossiers.

* * *

-Three Days later-

Forty-four people ended up dying in the hospital explosion... that hit the group pretty hard. Even the usually, laid back, kill crazy, Andrew was in a pretty stale mood.

There was a lot of anxiety and frustration in the headquarters. A lot of the group had taken to living there now, most didn't have family or many friends to speak of, so they all just sorta stayed there. The ones that ended up living there were Ace, Miranda, Andrew, Jaina, Natasha and Andrei, hell even Todd moved in. Most of the group members were going stir crazy, they were forced to sit on their asses and wait till their wounds healed, and there were other problems too.

Ace and Jaina, were at each others throats, arguing about this or that. Peter and Barbara got into a fight, that ended with her almost decking him in the teeth. Out of everyone, the only person who seemed to be doing alright was Aiko, and if Mindy had to guess, it was probably because of all the new friends she was making.

Seriously, when it came to Aiko, she was everybodies buddy, everybody except Mindy, for some reason she just couldn't stop herself from flirting with Dave, and Mindy was sure that she did it just to piss her off. Off course Mindy couldn't confide in anyone when if came to her deep loathing of Aiko, she was everybodies friend, hell she even made friends with Andrew, if you could believe it. There were so many fights and arguments going on, and whenever someone would win a fight, the loser would run off to find Aiko, she had basically become the groups fucking therapist.

Another thing that drove up the tension was descent amongst the groups leaders... namely Dave and Mindy... Dave had suffered some minor injuries to his hearing so he had to stay away from the firing range, and he couldn't train because of his other injuries so he was forced to just sit around all day... that made him pretty disgruntled... hell most of the time he couldn't wear a shirt because of his burns. He had to lay on his stomach all the time, and he had to keep applying cream to his lower back...

Mindy really wasn't bothered by his attitude... she understood that. No, what bothered her, had to be the most childish thing any of the group members, had heard of. She was really fidgety, and anxious... because she hadn't had sex in almost six days... and it was making her crazy... her ankle had finally returned to its normal size but she still couldn't put much weight on it... though she didn't need her ankle to function in order to jump Dave's bones, and that's what made it so frustrating. She was fine and ready to go, but he literally couldn't, it was really driving her crazy. She found herself spending her time either on the firing range or day dreaming about Dave...

That's the part that made it so bad, she was forced back into the 'crush' faze of the relationship, the faze where all you can do is daydream... and it sucked.

It was on the third day that she finally confided in Eileigh... she trusted her more than the other girls, because she was just a little younger than Mindy was. Eileigh had, had only a few boyfriends in her life, and nothing ever as serious as what Mindy and Dave had... but she did get what Mindy was going through and did her best to cheer her up.

Eventually Eileigh decided to help Mindy out... when Mindy was separated from Dave she approached him so that she could let him know what was bothering Mindy.

"Poor girl." Dave said with a laugh.

"Do you know how long, before your injuries are healed?" Eileigh asked with a small giggle.

"The stitches will come out in a few more days... the burns will heal in a few weeks." Dave said with a little disappointment.

"Poor Mindy... she really wants to spend some... quality time with you. I think even if she could just cuddle with you, it would help..." Eileigh offered with a smile.

"I feel bad for her... I guess I'm partially to blame for what she's going through... I think I might have turned her into a some sort of sex fiend... but don't tell her I said that..." He added quickly.

"Deal... I just figured I should let you know... she really wants to spend time with you, and its making her really irritable that she can't." Eileigh explained.

"... Thanks for letting me know. I'll try to work something out with her." Dave said with smile, as he wandered off to think.

* * *

-The Next Day-

Today was the day that they would finally meet their new handler. Mindy was anxious to meet this guy, she had very high expectations, if this guy was to serve as their handler, he would have to be at least as good as Dave, maybe even as good as Aiko, if he wanted to earn Mindy's respect. Shockingly as Harper and their handler arrived it turns out that they already knew the guy.

He was the doctor, the one that Harper sent to fix their wounds after the prison incident, and again after the hospital. Mindy had never really cared to learn his name, and she never really paid him much attention when he was sent over. The guy was always really quite, the only person he spoke too, was Andrei and that was to tell him what to do, to keep Natasha's girlfriend, in good condition.

Harper introduced him, his name was Samuel Ryu Hong, he was of Euro-Asian descent. The guy had Raven black hair that covered his eyes, and now that they got a good look at him, they could tell that his eyes were two different colors, one was red the other was black, he was just over six feet tall, and probably weighed two hundred and twenty pounds, he also had very pale skin. The guy also had a large scar over his right eyes, it made him look pretty bad-ass. If anything the guy looked a lot like a bigger version of Storm Shadow from the G.I. Joe movies.

Harper talked for a little while about a bunch of crap that Samuel would be doing, he would oversee certain mission, and make sure the young heroes didn't fuck up the city.

After Harper finished talking, Mindy stepped forward... she wanted to test this guy out, see if he was anyone they actually needed to take seriously.

"If this guy is going to be our handler, I wanna see what he's got." Mindy declared, in a bold tone.

Harper looked at her, and then looked at Samuel, before stating. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What, you afraid your guy is going to get his ass beaten by a fifteen year old girl!" Andrew challenged.

Harper let out a sigh and looked over at Samuel, giving him a slight nod.

Samuel stepped forward, and the group formed a circle around him and Mindy. Samuel had a blank expression on his face, he just stood there, arms dangling at his side, still as a statue.

Mindy stared at him for a second, analyzing him, there was a tiny part of her, deep down inside, that was slightly unnerved by this guys lack of emotion. After another second Mindy made her move, she was still recovering from her injuries, but she still had plenty of fight in her.

She charged forward and lashed out with her fists, she threw a right cross, and then tried to deliver a spin kick, but he dodged both strikes. She lashed out again, and again, he side stepped her strikes, he was incredibly graceful, Mindy was beginning to get pissed, so she charged at him again and brought her foot up to kick him in the teeth, though this time instead of dodging her, he caught her strike.

He caught her foot with his hand, while still holding her foot, he stepped forward and kicked the back of her other leg, forcing her to the floor. Mindy rolled away and shot to her feet, she stepped forward to lash out again, this time he caught her fist, and delivered a swift jab to her ribs. Mindy recoiled in pain, she heard a few of the group member wince. She stepped forward and tried again, and again, both times, he caught her strike, and then delivered a strike to her ribs. Mindy recoiled again, though this time he didn't wait for her to attack, he stepped forward, and got really close to her, he pivoted on his foot and used his forward momentum to deliver a strike with his elbow. Mindy brought up her hands to catch his strike, as she caught it, she suddenly caught a glimpse of his free hand shooting forward, it was then that she realized that she had been tricked.

He used his free arm to deliver a palm strike to the center of her chest. Mindy's eyes went wide as she felt the wind get knocked out of her. She fell back onto the floor, coughing and trying to regain her breath, but she didn't have time, she looked up just in time to see knee come down on her neck, she brought her hands up trying to throw him off, but he was far too heavy. He leaned on the side of her neck and she felt it begin to twist painfully, if he pressed down any harder, he would surely break it. Mindy decided to relent and she tapped out. Samuel quickly stood, as Dave, Marcus, and Eileigh ran forward to check on her.

Mindy got to her feet, and began coughing and rubbing her throat. Samuel returned to Harper's side and turned to face Mindy. The unease she felt, earlier became a realistic fear as she stared at him, he wasn't panting, her wasn't tired, his face was emotionless. Then he did something she never expected, without changing his look, without saying a word, he politely bowed.

Soon afterward Harper and Samuel left, and boy did this leave an impact. Mindy spent the rest of the day in a foul mood, not only did she lose, but she lost big time. She didn't land a single hit on the son of a bitch. Her pride was wounded and it showed, even Marcus gave Mindy a wide berth for the rest of the day.

At around 7:00 PM, Dave and Miranda, left to pick up some stuff. Mindy spent most of the day in the gun range, cleaning all the weapons. It was about an hour later when they finally returned home, and Dave quickly vanished. After a while Mindy got bored and decided to go to sleep. She quickly made her way to her bedroom, as she arrived she decided she wanted to shower first so she grabbed some clothes and went to the shower.

She walked out about thirty minutes later, she was exhausted and just wanted this day too be over. She took a few steps before noticing that there was red stuff on the ground. She knelt down to look at the red specks and quickly realized they were rose petals. "What in the..."

The rose petals were laid out in a trail that led back to there bedroom. Mindy followed to her door and paused, as she was reaching out to grab the door knob she thought she heard a light giggle come from down the hall. She stopped and listened for it again, but she didn't hear anything. Mindy let out a loud sigh before opening the door.

She was greeted to the sight of a candle lit room. She noticed a few dozen candles strewn about the edge of the room, and in the center of the room was a small table with two chairs on either side. On the table sat two covered dinner plates, some silverware and two long candles, like you would see in a fancy restaurant.

She stepped in and immediately caught a whiff of an enticing aroma of lavender and vanilla. She took another step forward, and heard the door close behind her. She looked back and spotted Dave who had been hiding behind the door.

"What is all this?" Mindy asked as she looked around the room, she had seen a few sappy love movies, and always wondered if this kinda thing really worked on people, though after walking in and being surprised by this unique turn of events, Mindy found it to be quite a romantic gesture.

"I know you and I haven't been able to spend as much time together as we would have liked to, over the past couple of days. So I thought I might try something romantic to show that it's not an on/off thing with us." Dave replied sheepishly.

As he stepped forward, Mindy got a better look at his outfit, he wasn't dressed overly special, but he did look nice, he had a button up shirt and kakies on. He pulled Mindy into a strong hug, and that's when Mindy picked up on the scent of cologne, she couldn't hide a smile as she thought about how nice he smelt.

"Dave this is so romantic, I just... I don't know what to say..." Mindy replied with a sappy smile... she was trying her hardest not to melt in his arms. This was so unexpected and so romantic... she was on the verge of crying.

Mindy wrapped her arms around him, being careful to keep her hands away from the burns on his lower back or the stitches on the top.

"I thought it might be nice to finally have that first date..." Dave stated with a goofy grin.

Mindy just stared at him, thinking to herself for a moment. It was hard to think that they had been through so much, they were planning on getting married, and yet they hadn't actually been on a real date.

"Thanks Dave... this is really sweet." Mindy said with smile.

Dave walked Mindy over to one of the chairs and pulled it out for her, he helped her with her chair like a true gentleman. Then he quickly sat across from her. The table that he had brought in was really little, probably just over twice as big as a table you would play chess on, but it did the trick. Dave quickly picked the covers off of their plates revealing some chicken fettuccine Alfredo.

Mindy let out a small giggle, she recognized the dish from olive garden, it was one of her faves. "What is this?" Mindy asked with another giggle as she reached out for her wine glass.

"Sparkling cyder." Dave replied with a grin.

"Wow!" Mindy giggled as she took a drink, "Is this what you and Miranda went out to do?"

"Yep... I'm not the best at these sorta things, and I kinda needed a woman's perspective... though if you want to thank someone you should thank Eileigh, she was the one that told me about how you've been feeling." Dave replied in an apologetic tone.

Mindy smiled at him, she had been feeling a little wound up the last few days... she knew that he wasn't doing it on purpose but still, she missed his touch, missed spending nights together in each others arms.

As they were sitting there, they heard a knock at the door. They both looked over as the door opened and Andrew stepped in, he was wearing a make-shift waiter outfit.

They both just stared at him as he looked around... "Hey guys... having fun? … anyway... Miranda said she'd forgive me for calling her the biggest slut this side of the Mississippi, if I brought this in... so..." Andrew stated with a weird look on his face... he took a few steps back and pulled in a little cart that had a small radio on it. He set it off to the side, and turned it on... he then looked at both of them gave them a nod and awkwardly left. After a moment "Careless Whisper" by George Michael, started to play.

Both of them sat slack jawed for a moment, before bursting out laughing... Mindy was red faced, she was laughing so hard... Dave was doubled over in his chair laughing loudly. It was about at the beginning of the second verse that the two finally got a hold of themselves and looked back at each other. They were both wiping tears out of their eyes.

"This is the most amazing night of my life!" Mindy said with a laugh. Dave nodded in agreement as he wiped more tears out from under his glasses.

The two quickly finished eating their meals, Mindy found it delicious and couldn't get over how surreal this all seemed. Every time she looked up, she saw Dave staring at her over the rim of his glasses, as they finished eating, she finally decided to ask about it. "What are you looking at?"

"You..." Dave replied with a little smile.

"Yeah? What about me?" Mindy asked as she leaned forward.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't seeing it for myself, but somehow, you look beyond gorgeous..." Dave stated with a small smile.

Mindy blushed and gently pushed some of her hair behind her ear. "Dork." she whispered playfully under her breath.

"I know... after what happened today, you probably feel like shit... I've never seen someone wipe the floor with you like that. It was kinda terrifying to watch." Dave admitted, as he leaned back in his chair.

"That guy is something else... he's got to be some kind of prodigy... He had to have started training around the same time I did... he was so fast..." Mindy trailed off as she recalled the fight and her inability to even lay a hand on him.

"Yeah he's good... I wonder if you'll ever be able to beat him." Dave stated, offhandedly. Mindy's eyes shot towards him... she held a look of disbelief, did he just say that? Was Dave doubting her abilities?

After a moment she caught a twinkle in his eyes... her disbelief vanished as she realized the he wasn't doubting her... he was challenging her.

"You just watch... I'm gonna catch up to him... then pass him by. We'll see who wipes the floor with who, next time." Mindy stated with a look of confidence.

Dave leaned forward in his chair and smiled at her... he loved when she got fired up like this. When Mindy was excited about something, when she was determined... it seemed like there was nothing that she couldn't do.

The two sat like that for a moment, both staring at one another, both deep in thought... "So... how is this night going to end?" Mindy asked, breaking the silence.

She really, really wanted him to say, sex... but she knew that, that was probably asking too much of him. He still wouldn't be able to lay on his back comfortably for a few weeks at least... though... if there was one thing Mindy had learned about sex... it was that it never hurts to ask.

"Well... I could think of a few things..." Dave replied with a smirk.

Mindy stared back at him, and blinked a few times. "Okay." She stated with a little confusion as she stood up.

"Go ahead and get undressed... I think I've got just the thing to spice up the night" Dave stated in a seductive tone.

"Wow... he's being seductive... that's different." Mindy thought to herself as she stripped off her clothes. She heard Dave walk over to the closet and begin searching through it.

Mindy pulled off her shirt exposing her breasts... she wasn't wearing a bra underneath, she wandered, as she let her shirt fall to the floor if Dave would notice or not... a day or two ago, Mindy started to notice that her bra's were getting tighter... it wasn't very noticeable but she was sure that her breasts had grown a little since the last time her and Dave had sex. After another moment she pulled off her shorts and panties.

She stood a few feet behind Dave as she wondered if she should ask him what he wanted her to do next... mostly she just hoped that he would notice her breasts, it was goofy to think about, but still, it meant that she was becoming more of a woman, and one of Mindy's deep fears was that he would lose interest in some flat chested, curve less young girl. So when it came down to her developing into more of a woman, any change, was something that was worth celebrating.

After a moment, Dave finished grabbing a few things out of a bag in the closet, and turned to look at her. She rested her hands behind her back and stuck her chest out. She almost looked like she was stretching... a part of her really hoped he would notice... like somehow he would have such a detailed recollection of her body that he would notice the tiniest change. It was childish, but still... Mindy was at the point in her life where she was mature enough to be an adult but young enough to still act like a kid, she had the best of both worlds, and by god she was going to use them to their full advantage... immaturity be damned.

Dave set some stuff on his night stand before walking over and hugging her. "Notice. Notice! Come on! Dammit!" Mindy thought as he gently kissed her neck.

"Fuck it!" She thought to herself.

"Notice anything different?" She asked as she took his hands and cupped them to her breasts.

"Umm.. no." He answered with a confused look.

"Oh, you dense bastard!" Her mind growled.

"Maybe its not as much of a change as I thought... or hell... maybe my bras somehow shrunk..." Mindy began to despair.

"Hey... did your boobs get bigger?" He asked sheepishly, as he gently caressed them in his hands.

"FUCK YES! He figured it out! MY MAN KNOWS EVERY LINE, AND EVERY CURVE OF THIS BODY!" Her mind, sang.

Mindy just smiled and nodded.

"Cool." Dave said with a smile as he leaned down and kissed both breasts.

Mindy quickly pulled him up into a kiss. It was a very wet and sloppy kiss, her tongue intertwined with his. The two spent a moment exploring each others mouths with their tongues.

"Why don't you sit down on the floor." Dave whispered into her ear.

Mindy smiled and decided to do what he said. She took a few steps back and sat down

"What are you up too?" She asked as he pulled his shirt off, and got into a kneeling position behind her.

"I was thinking a good message is just what you need." Dave replied as he held up a bottle of message oil.

"Where in the fuck did you learn how to give messages?" She asked, sounding a uncertain of his abilities.

"Hey... I was Katie's gay friend for like two and a half months. I had to learn how to do this shit." Dave replied as he poured some lotion onto his hands.

"Okay... lets see what you've got." Mindy chuckled.

Dave began to gently message the oil into her back. He started up at her shoulders and then began working his way down. He made it about half-way down her back before returning to her shoulders. He began kneading the skin, he was firm but gentle. "You are insanely tense up here." Dave stated, as he started to work the tension out of her shoulders.

After a few moments he began working his way lower. He kept a steady rhythm and paid extra attention to her lower back.

Mindy loved how this felt, the oil he had chosen, was warming, every time his breath passed over her skin, she felt the lotion warm up... it felt amazing. She also like how it smelt, it was kind of like a sweet almond scent. Dave actually wasn't half bad, and in the end a message was more then she was expecting so she wasn't going to complain.

"How does this feel?" Dave asked in a seductive voice.

"Amazing..." Mindy sighed in reply.

"Good." Dave stated with a smile. He continued to message her back, making extra sure to pay close attention to her neck, shoulders, and lower back.

"Thanks a lot, Dave." Mindy said with a small smile. "I really needed something like this."

Mindy was really thankful for this night... it may not have been sex, but it didn't have to be, in her eyes everything that she needed, she got. She didn't care if it stopped right now... she felt a lot better.

"Don't thank me yet... nights not over." Dave whispered in her ear.

Mindy body immediately, reacted, and her mind began to race. "Please let that mean what I think it means." she asked in a quiet voice, it took her a moment to realize that she had said that out loud.

He simply smiled in reply. At his smile Mindy quickly turned around and pulled him into a deep kiss. Her hands beginning to trail down his body.

"Uh-uh, not yet..." Dave said with grin as he pulled away from the kiss. "Sit against the foot of the bed... I've got something kinky, I want to try."

Mindy had a hard time not grinning as she sat at the foot of the bed, all the while her mind was doing back flips of joy. "Never bitch about lack of sex again! Dave is fucking amazing!" Her mind berated her as she sat.

After a moment Dave picked up the large mirror that was sitting in the corner and leaned it against the wall in front of Mindy. Each of the rooms came with a five foot tall, foot and a half wide mirror for the heroes to use when they got dressed in their costumes. She watched his curiously, did he want to fuck in front of a mirror? She wandered as he stepped back a few feet to make sure it was lined up correctly.

After a moment he walked over to her, "Scoot forward a little bit." He ordered as he stripped off his pants and boxers.

Mindy figured why not, so she complied. After she scooted forward about a foot or so, Dave moved behind her and sat down. Mindy felt him flip his dick up between the two of them, as he reached out and pulled her body close to his. After a moment she leaned back so that her back was pressed against his chest. She looked over at herself in the mirror, she curiously examined the young nude girl that was sitting between her lover's legs, leaning on him.

"Dave..." She whispered as she looked at herself.

"A lot of girls worry about what guys think of them... they try to make themselves into something that they're not. I wanted to show you what I see every time I look at you. You don't have any make-up on, you aren't wearing any clothes, and you've been in a bad mood all day... even with all of that... how can you look at that girl sitting in front you and not think that she is the most beautiful creature to ever live?" Dave said with a gentle smile as he stared at her in the mirror.

All Mindy could do was stare at herself in the mirror. It was so weird to think about, this is what Dave saw when he looked at her, this was what he had fallen in love with, this young girl, with nothing to hide her from him, no make-up, no clothes, just her and him. She looked at his reflection, he had this look about him, one of longing, a look that spoke volumes about his desires.

She had never really worried about something like this, and yet simply being made aware of it, and being shown how superfluous it all really was, it felt like an unknown weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

She didn't know what it was, whether it was the twinkle in her eyes, the slight blush of her cheeks, or if it was the butterflies around her heart, but something told her, at that moment, that she had somehow fallen even more in love with him.

"Do you see it?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do." She replied, a feeling of serenity was beginning to wash over her as she stared into her own eyes. She never felt more beautiful then she did at that moment.

"Good... because now I need to show you something else..." Dave said with a devilish smile.

"Whats that?" she asked, curiously.

"Well... I have a serious problem, and that problem is that I have a very horny girlfriend, who hasn't been getting the attention shes used too." Dave stated keeping his grin.

"Dave... I'm sorry that I've been acting like this... it's not your fault, and I really need to be more patient about this kinda thing." Mindy apologized.

"I could except your apology, or I could show you how much of a sex fiend you are." Dave stated with a mischievous grin, as his hands gently cupped her breasts.

"Oh..." was all Mindy said as he began to tease her nipples. She let out a several small moans as one of his hands began working it's way down her body.

She let her legs spread wide, and suddenly realized what the mirror was actually for. She had a perfect view of herself, she could see her pussy perfectly, if was so wet, and eager for some attention. She found it hard to believe, but she seemed to be getting turned on, just looking at herself. She felt herself slide forward a little, so that she could get a better view, as Dave's hand reached her wet opening.

Mindy let out a moan as Dave began to slide his finger along her slit. Mindy watched as one of his fingers slid inside of her, it was so erotic to watch herself, writhing in pleasure, somehow it seemed to heighten the experience.

After a moment he stuck in another finger, and used his other hand to rub her clit. Mindy moaned as her hands shot to her breasts. She began to play with her nipples as Dave fingered her faster.

Mindy felt her orgasm begin to approach when Dave suddenly stopped. She looked over her shoulder and saw him cringing, with a silly grin on his face, it was a moment before she realized why he was cringing. She heard the words _"Theirs, nothing wrong, with me, loving you..." _it was a moment before she recognized the song, Marvin Gaye's 'Lets get it on'.

Mindy let out an exhausted laugh as Dave shook his head and returned to pleasuring her. Though this time he did so in rhythm with the song. Mindy let out another laugh... when he began to go with the song.

She felt her orgasm begin building again, this time she turned her head, inviting Dave to lean down and kiss her. He got the hint, and did so.

They held the kiss for a few second, before Mindy finally reached her climax. She moaned into the kiss, as her senses went wild, she felt a powerful wave of pleasure surge through her body. This orgasm may not have been the most intense, one shes ever had, but there was something about it that made it special.

After a few moments of writhing in pleasure, Mindy turned herself around so that she was facing him...

"Are you in any pain?" she asked, her eyes looking towards the bed.

"Not much... with my lack of feeling, coupled with some pain killers, I'm pretty much numb to it." Dave said with a small smile. Mindy could tell from the look in his eyes, that he didn't need anything... This night wasn't about him... he did this for her, and as long as she was satisfied he didn't need anything. Mindy couldn't help but feel, a sense of gratitude, toward him... for being such a selfless lover.

"There is something else I wanna do... if you're up for it..." Mindy stated as she straddled his lap. As she did so she heard the song 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri, begin to play.

Dave smiled at her as he positioned himself, to enter her. Once Mindy felt the tip of his cock, touch her wet entrance, she slid herself down onto him. She began to gently grind against him, they kept things slow, and tender. This wasn't about sex or pleasure... it was about love... neither one of them knew why they wanted this reminder... they just knew they needed it.

So they stayed like that... Mindy and Dave pressing their foreheads together as they rocked their hips together... occasionally one would kiss the other... but they would always return to this position. Dave had his hands on Mindy's back, while she ran her hands through his hair. Both of them had their eyes locked on each other. All the while they could hear the song playing in the background... Mindy made a mental note to thank Miranda for the music, later.

* * *

-later-

Mindy awoke to the sound of a scream... she lifted her head and looked around the room... there was nothing, it was quite. Mindy listened for a few moments but there was no noise... she let out a loud sigh, before resting her head back down. As she did she realized that she wasn't on the bed.

She pulled back and felt a uncomfortable ache in her muscles... she couldn't help but smile though, as she looked at her make-shift pillow. Dave and her had fallen asleep in each others arms, while sitting at the foot of the bed. She stopped smiling when she realized that Dave wasn't hand cuffed... even though he hadn't been sleeping in their bed the last few days Dave made sure to handcuff his hands together before he went to sleep, but this time he forgot... and the two of them fell asleep together.

Mindy cuddled back into him, as she leaned forward she felt a slimy, gooey feeling between her legs... she giggled to herself, she could just barely feel his soft cock, sitting inside of her. A part of her hoped that it stayed there until morning, maybe he'd have morning wood, and they could have sex again... Mindy thought to herself, after a moment she stopped, and recalled what Dave had said about her being a sex fiend. She let out a low sigh... she knew he was right. It was embarrassing to admit, but she spent a lot of time craving sex, she'd sit in her room with Dave all day, and just keep on fucking, until it was time for bed... of course she'd never admit that to anyone, but still she did feel a little naughty now that she thought about it.

As she lay against him, sleep quickly descending upon her, another scream pierced the air.

Mindy heard it and immediately rolled off of Dave, waking him up in the process.

"Uhh... good morning to you too..." Dave stated tiredly as he moved to stretch. As he stretched out, he stopped and looked at his wrists, looking for the handcuffs. His eyes shot towards Mindy.

"Later! I think someone needs help!" She cried as she threw her shirt and shorts on.

Dave shook his head and shot to his feet, he quickly threw on his pants, while Mindy grabbed the taser she kept under the pillows. The two of them walked up to the door and opened it carefully. They both stood there for a seconds, listening for a struggle... when all of a sudden another scream pierced the air. It was coming from down the hall.

The two of them quickly shot down the hall towards the sound of the scream, they rounded the corner just as Katie and Marcus rounded another corner, down the hall.

"Did you hear that?" Mindy shouted as both groups ran towards each other.

"Yeah..." Katie started to reply as another scream came from a nearby bedroom.

"It's Todd's room!" Dave shouted as they all gathered around it.

"Ready?" Mindy asked as she grabbed the door knob.

"Do it!" Marcus stated seriously.

Mindy quickly opened the door, and her hand shot out towards the light. The second the room illuminated her eyes were drawn to a figure in the corner of the room, sobbing and pleading.

"Todd!" Dave said with surprise as he rushed over to him.

"No! No! Please, I'm sorry! Please!" He wailed, his eyes were wide and blood shot.

"Todd! WAKE UP!" Dave shouted as he slapped him across the face.

"It's just a dream! Wake up!" He tried again.

After a second Todd blinked a few times, and them looked around. "What are you all doing in my room?"

"You were having a nightmare." Mindy stated with a sigh as she stepped forward to help him up.

Todd eyes were still blood shot, and he was covered in sweat. The room had been tossed, his bed was flipped over, and one of the nightstands was on it's side.

"I was?" Todd asked as he stood.

"Yeah... you were screaming... we could hear you from down the hall." Katie explained.

"Oh... crap... guys I'm sorry..." Todd apologized.

"Don't be... we're just glad you're not hurt." Dave said as he ran his hands through his hair and walked out of the room.

All of the group just stared after him, they were all wondering the same thing, did he really just say that?

"Do you remember your nightmare?" Katie asked as she stood next to him.

"A little... someone was trying to take my eyes, I don't know who it was... but I know, I've seen them before..." Todd trailed off as he leaned against the wall.

"Look, maybe... get something to drink, and try to get some sleep... Dave and I will leave our door open and listen for you..." Mindy offered.

Todd just looked at her for a moment before giving her an appreciative nod.

Mindy wandered back to her room... she found Dave sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Dave..." She stated as she sat next to him.

Dave didn't respond, he just stared off.

"Dave! Are you alright!" Mindy asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

As she made contact with him, he suddenly looked over at her... like he didn't even know she was there.

"What?" He asked as he rubbed his temples.

"I asked if you were alright?" She stated with a worried look.

"Yeah... I'm fine." Dave sighed as he hung his head.

"Whats wrong?" She asked with a little worry.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about Todd, I hope he'll be OK." Dave stated with a grimace.

"How did those words taste?" Mindy asked with a smirk.

"Terrible. I'm fine." Dave said with a forced smile.

Mindy decided to let it drop, as she wrapped her arms around him. She decided it was time to discuss the groups training habits with him.

"We need to talk about our training regiment." She stated with a serious look on her face.

* * *

-Later-

Dave and Mindy walked into the living room, they found Todd, Miranda, and Andrew watching TV.

"You good?" Dave asked Todd as he walked up to him.

"Yeah... thanks..." Todd said with a nod.

Mindy sat next to Miranda, after a moment Miranda looked at her with a knowing smile. Mindy looked back and her and mouthed "thank you." Miranda just nodded, in reply.

"Todd... let's go call the others... We've got a lot of work to do..." Dave stated with a serious look on his face.

"Sure..." Todd replied as he stood, and the two of them left.

Mindy pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Who are you calling?" Miranda asked curiously.

"A friend." Mindy replied as she stood and walked into the kitchen.

* * *

-The Next Day-

"Jesus!" Crystal hissed as a shot ricocheted off of the display, her and Ace were hiding behind.

"How many?" Ace asked as he cocked back his gun.

"Six." Crystal replied.

"Ready?" Ace asked.

"Ready." Crystal replied as the two dived out from behind the display case and shot at the aggressors.

Sixty seconds later all of the men dressed in black body armor and balaclava laid, motionless on the floor. A moment later, a loud siren sounded and they all sat up.

"How did we do?" Ace asked with a grin, under his mask.

"Four minutes and twenty-eight seconds... not bad, but I think you can do better." Mindy replied as she walked out of a door that was off to the side.

"Right." Crystal stated with a nod as she reached down to help some of the masked individuals up.

One of them pulled their balaclava off, revealing Dominic... "Damn, I thought for sure we had you."

"You came close." Ace admitted.

"You guys can run it again later... for now it's Marty and Eileigh's turn to go." Dave stated as he pulled off the balaclava.

"This was a really good idea Mindy." Katie complimented as she got to her feet and stretched her arms.

"Thanks... I figured if we're going to be prepared then we need to run a few practice courses.

The previous day Dave and Mindy came up with an idea to run practice combat scenarios. So they called up Harper and asked if he would be able to set something like that up. He said sure and just needed a design... Mindy ended up giving him the layout of Frank D'Amico's penthouse.

It took Harper's guys about half a day to set it up, it was basically a bunch of dry wall set up in the shape of the interior, with a few props scattered about... everyone was armed with wooden weapons or air soft guns.

They spent all of today running the course in groups of two... there was no holding back... both side were told to beat the other, and that's what they tried to do.

They ended up setting up the kill house in a empty nearby warehouse... it was only about a five minute walk from the headquarters, so it was really convenient.

Mindy smiled and walked back out of the kill room. There was a cat walk that overlooked the whole area, and that's were her, Andrei and Duncan all sat and watched the fight play out.

"Who's up next?" Duncan asked as she approached.

"Marty and Eileigh." Mindy replied as she walked up to them, and leaned on the railing.

"That will be and interesting team." Duncan commented.

"Yes it will." Mindy agreed.

"Next course we build should be no win scenario." Andrei stated.

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked, with a curious look.

"There are some situation, where people get killed, where there is no winning. They must be trained to deal with that eventuality." Andrei explained in a serious tone.

"I agree... we should also design a course the allows for victory but only at the cost of the lives of a team member." Duncan added.

"Yes... they must be ready for these scenarios... they must be willing to do what is necessary." Andrei stated with a nod.

"Not to mention... if we don't tell them... whats going to happen... it will help you pin down who here is truly willing to die for the cause." Duncan commented.

"What do mean?" Mindy asked again as she thought about what was being said.

"If you don't tell them that someone has to die in order to win, and then you throw them into a scenario where someone has to die, or else everyone dies. You'll quickly learn where everyone stands in terms of their devotion to each other." Duncan explained.

"He is right... peoples live are measured by their manner of death... if they go out as heroes then they will be forever remembered as heroes." Andrei, stated in a solemn voice.

Mindy looked over at the giant... she had a sense about her... something that said that he had gone through something like that in the past. She decided not to ask about it, and instead began to think about no win scenarios.

A few moments of thought went by as she watched the fight play out below, as she watched her mind wandered back to the previous night, and how Dave decided to try sleeping without the handcuffs. She remembered, sleeping on his chest as they lay in their bed. They didn't end up having sex, but it didn't matter, the fact that things were beginning to return to normal, was enough for Mindy, to fall asleep smiling.

After a moment. She tapped Andrei's arm and motioned for him to follow her down to the combat floor.

On her way down, she told him her plan.

They walked around to the entrance that acted as the elevator, into the penthouse. "You ready?" Mindy asked after Andrei finished putting on Balaclava and a bulletproof vest.

"Yes. I am." He stated as he loaded an Air soft AK 47.

Andrei walked in an chucked two stinger grenades down the hall towards all of the masked 'criminals' as the grenades went off, Marty and Eileigh, looked over at him, they were both taking cover, next to a wall. They were shielded from the criminals but not from Andrei. He fired a few shots at them and they both fell to their knees cringing in pain.

He walked over to Marty and placed the gun to his head. "My name is Cain... Goodbye." He stated in a sinister voice.

Marty just stared up at him, as Dave, and the others wandered out of the hallway rubbing their wounds.

"What the hell?" Dave asked loudly.

"This is what we're going to be in for." Mindy answered as she walked through the door.

"If this Cain guy is as good as Harper's men think he is... then we need to be prepared. This guy is probably the worst enemy we'll have ever faced. Harper and his men are worried about him... and they've got a guy like Samuel watching their backs... that should tell you all something." She stated as the group gathered around.

"We need to be ready... we cannot be caught off guard again... we cannot fall for another trap. Because next time, it wont be a bunch of low level enforcers with big guns... next time... it could be the most deadly mercenary in the world..." Mindy finished seriously.

"She's right." Marcus agreed.

"Yeah... it's time to take off the kids gloves." Dave said with a nod.

The group reset the scenario as Mindy walked back up to the catwalk. She stopped and leaned against the railing. As she stood there, a vision flashed into her head.

She was looking at herself, kneeling over Dave's body... she couldn't tell if he was dead or not. She herself, was beaten to the edge of recognition. Her face was bloody and beaten, she was clutching what had to be a broken arm, and there were tears flowing down her face. All of this was sickening, it was horrifying to watch, and yet there was something far worse the her and her lover's... beaten and bloody bodies.

There was a man standing behind the two of them, he had a gun pressed to the back of Mindy's head.

She heard the hammer fall back on the gun, and right before it went off... she heard the man whisper. "Say, hello to daddy..." and then the gun went off and the vision ended...

_Okay so this chapter is done! I made it nice and long for you all. I want to thank **thejokersbrother **_for the awesome villains, and I want to thank _**Superemopowerz** for the OC Samuel. I would also like to thank **Scarlet WebSlinger** for another awesome OC... that I will be using in upcoming chapters... I also forgot to say thanks to **pjayb03** for his villain OC which I used in the last chapter. He was the camo guy that attacked Andrei... I will be going into more details about him later as well but I just wanted to say thanks. I have one last thank you I wish to extend to **adm-frb** who helped me come up with Todd nightmares as well as the kill house. If I'm forgetting anything I apologize, and If I forgot anyone please let me know... I always feel like I should give credit where it is due. Anyway... I hope you guys enjoyed... and just in case you were wondering yes I do love righting love scenes I guess I'm kinda mushy like that. Anyway a lot of stuff happened this chapter so if you need to ask questions go right on ahead I'm always open to chatting._


	22. Chapter 22

_Okay so I'm moving on too chapter 22. I tried to get this up yesterday but instead of typing up a new chapter I spent almost all day cleaning up the first fifteen chapters... I went back and basically reread through them and tried to fix as many grammar mistakes as I could, hopefully it will be much easier to read... I have to say thanks to everyone who has offered me OC's and ideas... I'll try my best to name you at the end of the chapters... in which your content is represented... but I might miss it... let me know if I didn't give you credit for your ideas so that I may go back and correct that... I like to ensure that people know where the good ideas are coming from... I'd like to say that they're all from me, but that would be a lie... to all those that have offered they're help... I thanks you..._

_**Rise of a Hero, Fall of a legend.**_

Chapter 22

The sound of a loud buzzer pierced the air, as a handful of heroes fell to their knees in despair.

"Sorry guys... looks like you failed to save Miranda..." Mindy's voice came over the loud speaker.

It had been two weeks since they started training in the kill-house, they had moved on from the D'Amico penthouse to running through different scenarios. Eventually, Mindy decided she wanted to start testing them in high risk situations, so she had Harper set up a kill-house that resembled the warehouse where Big Daddy died.

What they did was tie up one or two people and then split the group... three people would run the rescue team while the rest acted as the thugs. They only had three minutes to free the prisoners, or else they lost.

Miranda was the hostage, while Andrew, Todd, and Barbara, were on rescue...

"No! She can't be dead!" Andrew shouted dramatically. "How could you do it? How could you kill her? She was my friend, you fucking bastards!"

"Whoa what the fu..." They heard Todd start to shout. After a moment, the thug group along with Miranda saw Andrew round the corner, with Todd hefted over his head.

"Take this you sons of bitches!" He shouted as he got close and then threw Todd at them.

Todd let out a comical yelp as he flew about six feet before landing with a loud thump. Everyone in room started to laugh their asses off.

"I can't fucking breathe!" Todd whined as flailed around on the floor.

Andrew quickly walked through the group of thugs and fell to his knees next to where Miranda was tied up. She had tears in her eyes she was laughing so hard.

"How could they? How could they destroy something... so beautiful?" He wept. Pretty much every member of the group was laughing at that.

"Jesus... He fucking threw him!" Ace sputtered out as he tried to catch his breath.

"Um... Dave... I think you might need to come up here." Came Natasha's voice over the loud speaker.

"Why?" Dave asked as he pulled off the balaclava he was wearing. His face was red, and he had tears streaming down it, he was laughing so hard.

"Cause Mindy's on her side cringing in pain." Natasha answered with a giggle.

"Is her face red?" Dave asked with a laugh.

"Yep." Natasha replied.

"She's fine." Dave waived her off.

Natasha just shook her head and looked down at Mindy who was on her side cringing with laughter.

"Are you going to be okay?" Natasha asked, happily.

"He... He fucking threw Todd at them. I don't think I've ever seen something that fucking funny!" Mindy replied breathlessly as she got to her feet.

Dave walked over and extended a hand to help Todd up, ever since Dave learned that Todd was also having nightmares, he started to actually treat him like a member of the team and not just a nusiance.

"You okay?" Dave asked as Todd got to his feet.

"That fucking hurt..." Todd replied as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Ha..." Was all Dave said in reply, as he gave Todd a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"What in the fuck is he doing?" Katie asked as she looked over at Andrew who was still sputtering nonsense to Miranda.

"I think he's trying to flirt." Dominic replied with a grin as he got closer too the two of them.

"I had no idea he even knew how to flirt..." Marty stated with a confused look.

"Hey! I know how to serenade a woman just as good as any other guy... Hell... there was this one time when I killed twenty-two people, while singing the song 'Everybody' by the Backstreet Boys." Andrew replied as he stood and looked at them.

"That doesn't make sense. Where was the woman you were singing too?" Peter interjected.

"Um... I think one of them might have had a vagina... then again..." Andrew trailed off as he awkwardly Wandered off.

"You called..." Came a mysterious voice.

The group members looked over to see Samuel standing in a doorway.

Dave looked around at the group, before stepping forward and motioning Samuel to follow him.

After a moment Mindy quickly appeared, and joined the two. Mindy's eyes quickly began scanning Samuel as was her custom... in the last two weeks, they had only seen him twice, and he rarely stayed for long. He stopped by to drop off more information about The Order of Carnage, and some more of it's members. The order was set to arrive any day now, and the government was on high alert, watching and waiting. In the last two week, nothing really major happened in the world of heroes...

The cunts were quite, the criminal goon squads were back to being non-existent... everybody was waiting on Cain to arrive.

"We called you here to talk about possibly making a move on Chris and his lieutenants." Dave stated after a moment of silence.

"What did you have in mind?" Samuel asked in a very formal and straightforward tone. Mindy found it hard to hide the enormous rage hard-on she got whenever this guy came around... there was something so unnatural about him... he didn't seem human, and it bothered Mindy that, so far, he had displayed to ability to reflect exactly one emotion, and that was neutrality. This guy almost seemed like he didn't care while at the same time, he didn't seem like he was bored or even upset that he was forced to be there... he just seemed neutral.

"If Cain is going to be arriving soon... we think it would be a good idea to eliminate Chris and his guys before The Order of Carnage arrives." Dave explained, in the simplest way possible.

"A wise approach... I will gather what Intel I can. According to our records Cain has only ever fought on American soil once before this, and that was in Texas..." Samuel stated plainly.

"What happened?" Mindy asked curiously.

"He led a mercenary group of eight men, against a drug cartel, consisting of forty-seven members. He managed to kill all of them, without losing a single man." Samuel replied.

"Damn..." Mindy said with a shake of her head. The more she heard about Cain, the more she felt like he was a much greater threat, than anything they had ever faced before.

"If that will be all..." Samuel stated after a moment.

"Yeah, that will be all... let us know what you find." Dave stated, as he thought to himself.

"Very well." Samuel replied as he turned and left.

"I hate that guy." Mindy stated plainly, once he was out of ear shot.

"I know." Dave replied as he walked back into the kill-house.

* * *

-The Next Day-

Mindy's eyes slowly opened as she awoke from a deep slumber... she let out a sleepy sigh as she stretched.

"Good morning." She heard Dave say. She sat up and looked at him, he was standing in the center of the room, putting his clothes on.

Mindy smiled to herself as she though about all of the fucking they did the previous night...

After their 'date' they ended up having sex, once every couple of days... but the last three days, they had, had sex, every night. Yesterday was no different, they probably fucked for about two straight hours last night.

"See you at breakfast." Dave said with a smile as he finished getting dressed and walked over and kissed her.

Mindy smiled to herself once again. The last two weeks had brought only a few bad nightmares for Dave... he still had them every night, but most of the time they weren't that bad. Dave seemed too preoccupied with worrying about all that had been happening, to have nightmares. He had Chris to worry about, not to mention 'Cain the Nightmare'. He also was deeply troubled by Todd's nightmares. For some reason their nightmares were bringing the two back together. Dave and Todd would often sit and talk for hours about something, Mindy never bothered to ask what the talked about, but it was nice to see them spending time together.

Mindy shook her head, and reached over to grab her birth-control pills, she also grabbed the calendar that she kept. Mindy liked to keep herself organized. She popped the pill and looked down at the calendar, she read the only thing she had written down for today. "Buy more Birth Control."

Mindy stared at the calendar for a moment, then she looked at her pill pack, there were five left.

Mindy sat there confused for a few moments, she flipped the calendar back to the previous month, twenty-eight days ago it said she had a reminder to buy more pills. Mindy looked back at the pill pack, "Where in the hell did these come from?" She asked herself as she examined it.

"Did I..." She began, as a twinge of fear shot up her spine.

Mindy's eyes went wide... "No I couldn't have forgotten... Taking these pills is the only thing that lets Dave do me raw..." She said to herself. A small part of her, face-palmed at her choice of wording.

"When did I..." Mindy said aloud as she searched her memory to try to find where in the hell five days worth of pills, went.

Mindy ran her hands through her hair, as she tried to recall when she forgot to take them...

Suddenly it struck her, she remembered the day after her and Dave's date. She remembered walking back into their room after Todd had his nightmare, and sitting next to Dave. She remembered, walking over to her nightstands and grabbing her pills.

Mindy replayed the memory over and over, she kept replaying the part where she picked up her pills, Mindy was trying to recall from memory, how many pills were in the package when she took it that day...

She counted them, then recounted them. Nineteen, there were nineteen pills two weeks ago... as Mindy was doing the math in her head, she suddenly realized what had happened. It was the hospital incident, she had forgotten to take her pills while they were recovering from their injuries.

Mindy's jaw just hung open. "I forgot... Five days worth of... … … and I..." Mindy's hand shot to her mouth as she remembered something else that had occurred around that time...

* * *

-A Few Moments Later-

Eileigh and Katie were walking down one of the hallways when they suddenly heard the sound of someone barfing. The two looked at each other before deciding to go and check it out.

They found themselves at Dave and Mindy's bathroom, they found Mindy with her arms rapped around the toilet bowl.

"Holy shit." Katie stated with a look of shock as she and Eileigh quickly averted their eyes.

After a moment they heard Mindy whimper, and they had to look back at her. After a second Eileigh grabbed a bathrobe that was hanging from the door and knelt next to Mindy.

"Hey... you might wanna put this on..." She stated nudging Mindy with the robe.

"Why..." Mindy asked with a sigh as she looked over at the two of them, tears in her eyes.

"Well... the bathroom door is open... and you're naked..." Katie replied with a bit of embarrassment.

Mindy looked down at her trembling naked body, it took her a moment to realize that she was, in fact, naked.

Mindy let out an irritated sigh as she took the robe and put it on.

"Whats wrong?" Eileigh asked as he began brushing Mindy's hair back.

Mindy looked at the two of them, thinking really hard about whether or not to confide in them, after a moment she decided to take a chance.

"Close the door," Mindy stated as she sat back again the wall, opposite of the toilet.

Katie did just that, and then she joined Eileigh, by squatting next to Mindy.

"Are you alright?" Katie asked, trying her best to read Mindy's face.

"Look... what I tell you guys has got to stay between us, okay?" Mindy asked.

"Yeah." "Sure." They both replied with a nod.

"You guys know how I'm with Dave?" Mindy asked.

Both of them nodded.

"He and I have been having sex... a lot of it... and a few weeks ago, after the hospital incident, I forgot to take my birth-control." Mindy explained.

"Well... it's okay, I mean after what happened at the hospital you and Dave couldn't have sex because of your injuries." Eileigh stated.

"Yeah... I thought that's why you were so irritable those days because you and he weren't getting it on..." Katie added, with a little giggle

"Yeah we weren't until about two weeks ago... he and I started sleeping together again..." Mindy stated.

"...and you weren't on the pill?" Katie guessed, with a smirk.

"...and I was ovulating..." Mindy added with a look of horror. Katie's smirk vanished as she realized that this could actually be a serious problem.

"Oh shit!" Eileigh stated breathlessly as she ran her hands over her hair.

"I'm supposed to be starting soon... but what if I don't?" Mindy asked, with a great deal of worry.

"We need to get you a test." Katie stated after a moment of thought.

"Yeah... good thinking..." Eileigh agreed with a nod.

"You guys stay here... I'm gonna go get one." Katie ordered as she rushed out the door.

Mindy just sat there with a look of pure terror on her face. "This can't be happening. Not now."

"Look, don't get yourself all worked up... I read somewhere that even if you have sex when you're at your most fertile, it's still only a one in five chance... you might be alright." Eileigh tried to offer.

"Holy shit..." Mindy whined as she buried her head in her hands.

About fifteen minutes went by before Katie returned...

"Here, pee on this." Katie ordered as she handed Mindy a glass of water and a little box. "Let's give her some privacy."

"We'll be right outside." Eileigh comforted her as she got to her feet and her and Katie stepped out into the hallway to give her some privacy.

The two just stared at each other as they waited. Time seemed to move slowly, Katie kept checking her watch, five minutes, ten, fifteen... finally the door opened.

They both looked over at the ghost like figure that stood before them. Mindy had lost all color, she was as white as snow...

"Oh...my...god..." Katie stated breathlessly.

"Mindy..." Eileigh whispered as she brought a hand up to cover her mouth... neither her or Katie knew how to feel about this, Mindy obviously didn't seem to be taking the news very well, so cheering and celebrating didn't seem like the right course of action.

"Where's Dave?" she asked with a far away look in her eyes.

Eileigh let out a loud sigh as she reached out and took one of Mindy's hands, she could see the pregnancy test clutched in her other hand. "This way."

They walked quietly down the halls toward the living room. None of them spoke, Eileigh and Katie both had butterflies in their stomachs... the anticipation for what was about to happen was overwhelming.

They walked in and found Dave, Marcus, Marty, Miranda, Natasha, and Natasha's girlfriend, Elena, all sitting in the living room.

Mindy opened her mouth to speak, but words didn't come out... she felt her legs start to tremble and tears began to well up in her eyes. Her eyes were locked on Dave... her mind was racing.

"Dave..." Katie stated in a hushed tone, when she realized that Mindy couldn't speak.

All of the group members looked over, most of them visibly struck by Mindy's appearance. Not only did she look disheveled, but she was also as pale as a ghost.

"What's wrong?" Marcus asked with a look of worry.

Dave shot to his feet and walked over to her. "Are you okay? What happened?" He asked as he approached.

"I... … … I... fucked up..." Mindy stated as she fought back tears.

"Mindy... I don't understand..." Dave stated as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I screwed up... I'm sorry..." She said as a single tear streamed down her cheek.

"What.. what's that matter?" Dave asked with a gulp.

"I'm sorry.. I..." Mindy stated again as she stared down at the ground.

"Oh...shit..." Natasha stated with a look of shock. "Her hand..."

Dave looked back at Natasha for a moment then looked down at Mindy's hands. He noticed something in her hand...

"What is that?" He asked, with a confused look.

"I forgot..." Mindy said with a sad smile, as she held up the test stick.

Dave looked at her, then looked at the test. Mindy watched as his eyes widened in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry... I forgot to take my birth-control, and I... we weren't having sex because of your injuries and I guess that is slipped my mind... and I... I'm so sorry... I..." Mindy started to explained quickly.

"You're pregnant?" Dave asked breathlessly as he took a few steps back.

"I need to see a doctor to be sure... but... I..." Mindy wiped tears from her eyes as she searched for something to say, something to tell him to make this better... She loved the idea of having a baby with Dave... but this could not have come at a worse time...

New and deadlier enemies were fast approaching and Mindy was about to be tied down with a child...

Nine months... nine months she would be unable to fight, unable to help them. She kept cursing herself... she could not believe that this had happened... how could she have screwed up like this? She had basically fucked over the whole team, not to mention all of their plans were not worthless.

"Dave... I am so sorry... I know I screwed up, I screwed up big time..." Mindy said with sad eyes.

"When?" Dave asked, his head buried in his hands.

"The night of our date... that was the last night that I went without taking a pill... I'm sorry... I completely forgot... I didn't realized until today... that I had forgotten to take a bunch of pills." Mindy explained, feeling like shit.

"Wow... that's kind of... crazy..." Dave stated as his hands fell away from his face. Mindy finally got a good look at him... he looked strangely calm... and even a little happy.

Dave adopted a gentle smile as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, "... to think... our baby was conceived on the most romantic night of our lives..."

Mindy couldn't help but smile as he started to pull her into a kiss.

As their lip were about to touch she felt something slide up her back... it was a gentle feeling, like someone was caressing her.

Just as Dave's lips met hers, she felt a weight descend upon her... it was the weight of reality...

* * *

Mindy's eyes opened and she sat up and looked around.

"Good morning, beautiful." She heard Dave whisper.

"What... Was that all a dream?" Mindy asked herself.

She looked over her shoulder and saw him laying in bed next to her. She was about to say something when a thought occurred to her, and her eyes shot over to her nightstand. She grabbed her pills and found that there was only one left...

"What's wrong?" Dave asked with a little concern at her sudden reaction

"I just had a crazy dream." Mindy replied, as she took the pill.

"Yeah? What was it about?" Dave asked as he sat up, and looked at her.

"... I got pregnant..." Mindy replied with a strange look.

"Oh..." was all Dave said in reply.

"Yeah..." Mindy said with a shake of her head.

"What was so bad about it?" Dave asked with a mild degree of curiosity.

"Nothing..." Mindy replied suddenly as she looked at him and searched for a way to explain. "I would love to have a baby with you Dave... it's just... now is not the right time..." Mindy admitted.

"I know..." Dave agreed as he wrapped an arm around her.

Mindy just let out a loud sigh as she nuzzled into him.

"I wouldn't mind, maybe having a kid... but you're right, now is definitely not the time." Dave said with a faraway look in his eye..

"...so how did Marcus react?" Dave asked after a moment.

"What?" Mindy asked in reply.

"To the news about you being pregnant... how did he react?" Dave asked again with a curious grin.

"I wasn't really focused on him... I was paying more attention to you." Mindy replied with a little embarrassment.

"Oh yeah? How did I react?" Dave wandered.

"You... you seemed almost... happy..." Mindy answered, with a shy smile.

"I think I would be..." Dave stated after a moment.

"What?" Mindy asked, with a confused look.

"I think I would be happy, if you told me, you were pregnant. In fact, I know I would be happy." Dave affirmed to himself.

"Really..." Mindy asked, suddenly becoming very shy.

"Yeah... I would love to see what kind of mother you would be... for some reason... Sarah Connor comes to mind..." Dave said with a giggle as he pulled her close to him.

"Yeah... our child would be the one to lead humanity into the future." Mindy stated with confidence.

Both of them started to giggle at the prospect.

Suddenly a knock came at the door.

"One minute!" Dave shouted as he and Mindy shot to their feet and started throwing on their clothes.

Once they finished getting dressed Dave shot over to the door and opened it, he found Ace standing there.

"What is it?" Mindy asked, as she joined him.

"Samuel is here... he says that he need to talk to you." Ace said as he jerked his head in the direction of the living room.

"Thanks. We'll be right there." Dave said as he closed the door. Both of them shared a look before straightening themselves up, and marching out the door.

As they walked down the hall they passed by Elena's room. Natasha's girlfriend was still bed ridden from sickness, but she was improving. When she was shot, the bullet passed through her intestines and spilled out some of her bodies waster, this caused her to fall ill from infection... luckily she was improving and would hopefully be out of bed and back to her old self, in another week or two. Mindy always found it sweet to see the two together, Natasha's was a sucker when it came to blondes, and she would sometimes flirt with Mindy or Eileigh, but she would never actually make them any offers... she truly loved Elena, and whenever Mindy would see Natasha's sitting by Elena's bedside, just talking to her, she would stop and wonder to herself if her and Dave's relationship was that strong.

It occurred to Mindy, as she walked that she should of realized that, the whole thing was a dream, because Elena was sitting in the living room with Natasha. Mindy shook her head as she thought about the dream, it quickly became apparent, as she thought about it that, a lot of what happened didn't make sense. Mindy shook off the thoughts as they approached their destination.

The two walked into the living and found most of the group sitting there, they also found Samuel standing in the center of the room.

"That was fast... what have you got?" Dave asked as they walked in.

"Two days from now... Chris and his men are going to attack a military convoy, carrying munitions and supplies too the F.O.B. just outside of town... they will pass right through town, the convoy will be protected by over forty armed troops... Chris and his men will ambush the convoy and attempt to seize the supplies." Samuel explained.

"So... it looks like we're hitting the town." Dave stated with a sigh.

"You plan on intervening?" Samuel asked.

"It will give us another shot at the bastard, plus it will be a spectacle for the city to observe. We stop Chris' plans, we put him down, and the whole city gets to watch." Mindy explained.

"I'm guessing the supplies he plans on stealing are for Cain and his army, when they arrive." Dave added.

"Do you have a problem with this course of action?" Mindy asked Samuel, with a curious look.

"No... it is viable tactical option. If this is what you plan on doing, then we need to begin planning immediately." Samuel answered with little emotion.

"Anyone have any concerns?" Dave asked the group.

Most of them looked at each other, before Andrew spoke up.

"Let's go kick some ass!" Andrew shouted with enthusiasm.

Most of the group nodded in agreement. "Alright... let's get to work." Dave stated after a moment.

_Okay so I'm setting up for another showdown... sorry that this chapter is shorter, but I needed to set up the next chapter... I'm going to try and have the next chapter out by Saturday or Sunday. Please let me know what you think and pm me if you have any idea on interesting plot points, or just want to talk about the story or Kickass in general... I love spit-balling ideas, so if you want to, let me know._


	23. Chapter 23

_Guess what bitches? Because I love you guys so much I decided to do the chapter early! Get ready for an epic fight! I've got a lot to live up too, especially given how awesome the battle at the prison was. Please let me know how you feel, and I have a question to ask... because I really am torn about what to do with the pregnancy thing... to be honest last chapter it came down to a flip of a coin to determine whether it was real or a dream... and I'm being serious! I literally flipped a coin and went with which ever side it landed on. Anyway... my question is, do you want me to save the whole pregnancy thing until after all the fighting... and make it sort of an epilogue, and what I mean by that is when the whole thing with Chris and Cain is finished and I decide to write a few chapter of epilogue, should those be about Mindy's pregnancy... or should I add the pregnancy into the main story, because I've got a few ideas for that, and I think it would add a lot of drama... I don't know, I'm torn between the two... if I add the pregnancy into the story, then who knows what could happen, but if I make it the epilogue then at least you know that it's pretty much going to be all good. Let me know what you think... like I said, I'm torn and really need some input... on another note... I don't like using beta readers... I have a terrible schedule and it usually conflicts with theirs... on that note, I love spit-balling ideas with people, so if you want to talk about my story or hell, even your stories, I'm open to it... For now though, let's begin._

_**Fall of a Hero, Rise of a Legend.**_

Chapter 23

The group members all sat in the armory gathered around tables, looking over maps, and setting up plans.

"I've gone over this map a dozen times. The only chance Chris' men would have to take out the convoy would be here." Duncan stated as he pointed at the map.

"I agree." Andrei said with a nod.

"Why here?" Aiko, asked with a curious look.

"This is the middle ground... you see the convoy is coming from the harbor, they will pass down this route to get to the F.O.B., if Chris and his men want to seize the convoy and not destroy it, then this is where they need to do it." Duncan stated with a serious look.

"Okay... but why here?" Aiko asked again.

"See this long stretch of road?" Duncan asked with a sigh.

"Yeah."

"There are plenty of side streets and a lot of tall building... sight lines are minimal, and you could easily hide a whole army on those side streets... on this street, the convoy will be at it's most vulnerable. They can only see whats straight in front of them, and what directly behind them." Duncan explained.

"Oh I get it." Aiko stated with a nod.

"Not to mention this street is just about at the middle point between the harbor, and the F.O.B. it will take equal amount of time for both sides to send help." Andrei added.

"Exactly! If Chris wants this convoy, this is where he'll have to strike." Duncan stated with confidence.

"So have we figured out where Chris is going to attack?" Mindy asked as she joined the group around the maps.

"Yeah..." Duncan answered as he began explaining once again, why he had the correct area.

Dave sat off in the corner of the room next to Samuel, who was loading weapons on a table. "You going into combat dressed like that?" Dave asked with a smirk.

"I will be prepared, do not worry about me." Samuel replied casually.

"Whatever..." Dave replied with a shake of his head.

The attack on the convoy was to take place the following day, and all of the heroes were in a rush to prepare.

* * *

-Later-

They spent the rest of the day preparing... the convoy was set to pass through that part of town at around 11:00 am, so they had to get to bed early. It was around 8:00 when most of the group member retired.

Dave and Mindy found themselves both laying next to each other in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Dave?" Mindy asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah?" Dave replied.

"Are you worried?" Mindy asked with a casual look on her face.

"About what?" Dave asked as he rolled onto his side and looked at her.

"About Chris... about tomorrow... about Cain?" Mindy asked, as she did the same.

"Well... kinda... Chris is a slippery bastard and I'm really praying that tomorrow proves to be the end of him... when it comes to Cain... I don't know what to feel. He sounds like a real bad-ass, then again so was Big Daddy, and Colonel Stars and Stripes, and they both got killed... it just proves that even the most amazing bad-asses out there are still human." Dave replied with a shrug.

"Yeah. You're right..." Mindy stated with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Are you worried about Cain?" Dave asked with a solemn look on his face.

"I don't know... If all the rumors are true, then this guy might be the most powerful criminal we've ever faced... and we've faced a lot! I just don't know, a part of me thinks that this guy could prove to be the end of me..." Mindy replied as she sat up and rubbed her temples.

"Hey... Don't think like that. No matter what he's done in the past, he's still human... he's just a man, and you've killed hundreds of men... We'll kill Chris, and then Cain... and then this will be over... and we can move on with our lives." Dave told her as he sat up a pulled her into an embrace.

"I sure hope so." Mindy replied, not quite believing him.

The two sat like that for a little while before, finally falling into slumber.

* * *

-The Next Day-

The group members all awoke at 6:00 am, they ate breakfast and then convened in the armory. Once everyone was gathered around and Samuel had shown up, Dave decided to address the group.

"We've had a rough couple of weeks together..." Dave began.

"We've had our highs and we've had our lows. We've tried our best to do whats right... and we've been brutalized because of it. We all know what we're walking into today... I know that some of you, have been dreading this moment, while others have yearned for it... Today we face off against Chris and his army... and god willing, we'll walk away from this fight with his fucking head! I know we haven't known each other for very long, and we all joined this team for different reasons. In the end none of that matters, what matter is that we're a team, we do this together, no matter what happens out there... I just want all of you to know that..." Dave stopped as he searched for the right words to end his speech.

"...I want you to know that I appreciate everything you have done, I want you to know that I have your back's out there... and I want you to know... that there is no finer group of people, that I'd rather march into battle with..." Dave finished, he had a humble look about him.

The group members held a different range of emotional responses. From Todd, and Marty, who held looks of immense gratitude, for everything Dave had done for them, to the soldiers like Andrei, Duncan, Crystal, and Lisa, who all held sly grins on their faces. The group member all had different reactions, though out of all of them, there was one in particulate that caught Mindy's eye for a moment, and that was Aiko's reaction, her eyes fell to the floor, and her hands were clenched in fists, Mindy was sure that Aiko had never had this much, trust and responsibility placed on her.

As Mindy's gaze returned to Dave, she couldn't help the feeling of admiration that was washing over her, it made Mindy so proud to see how far Dave had come. Where once he was just some dork in green spandex trying to deal with the reality of creating a superhero movement, now he was the unofficial leader of Justice Forever.

Everyone knew that Mindy was the one who really ran the group... she had the knowledge, and she had the skill... but if you asked any one of them, including Mindy, they would say that Dave was the leader. When it came right down to it, they all knew that Dave was the heart and soul of Justice Forever.

"Let's do this!" Dave stated with a look that mirrored his determination.

"Okay so here's how this is gonna work..." Mindy stated as the groups eyes fell on her.

"We'll wait until the attack begins... once Chris and his men are in the thick of fighting, we'll charge in and save the day. We'll split into five teams... Natasha and Duncan will act as over-watch, and keep an eye out for snipers and reinforcements. While Dave, Andrei, Lisa, and I will act as team leaders. Jaina, Andrew, Todd, and Donald, will go with Dave. Marty, Katie, Ace, and Aiko, will go with Andrei. Peter, Barbara, Crystal, and Dominic, will go with Lisa. While Marcus, Miranda, Eileigh, and Samuel will come with me." Mindy finished explaining.

"One SUV, will arrive at the front of the Convoy, while the other will arrive at the back. Duncan will be on sniper duty, while Natasha will feed us tactical data while we fight, so everybody keep you ears open." Dave stated in a very 'matter of fact' sounding voice.

"Alright everyone, gear up and let's get out there!" Mindy ordered.

The group members nodded and then dispersed, to get their gear. Everyone was pretty quite, most were deep in thought trying their hardest to stay focused.

"You ready?" Mindy asked as Dave pulled up his hood.

"I was born ready for this." Dave replied, as he took a deep breath.

"Good!" Mindy stated with a smirk as the two walked out into the garage. Mindy and Dave, had basically gotten, throwing on their costumes, down to a science. What took the other members, upward to ten minutes to prepare, Dave and Mindy were done in two or three.

They walked into the garage, Mindy saw a figure standing in the center of the garage, she recognized the raven black hair, instantly, it was Samuel. He was facing away from them, Mindy quickly scanned his outfit that he was wearing, it was all black and looked almost exactly like 'Snake Eyes' costume from G.I. Joe. Except he wasn't wearing any headgear, and he had a huge Chinese dragon, painted on his back.

Samuel looked back at them as they approached, he was holding a face-mask in his hand, Mindy could tell that it was similar to Dave's.

"You ready to go?" Dave asked as they approached him.

Samuel stared back for a moment, before putting his face-mask on. It was black with a white skull painted on it, he had a small Japanese symbol painted on the forehead of the mask. Mindy also noticed the right side of the mask had a little bit of damage to it, it looked like it had been melted slightly.

"Yes... I am ready to go." Samuel answered as he knelt back down and picked his weapons up off the floor. He had a silenced Heckler & Koch HK417, a colt m1911, and a Katana. He slung the Katana over his shoulders so that it was strapped to his back. He also had a few throwing knife strapped to his body, Mindy also noticed that he had strange block-like contraptions sticking to his forearms.

"What are those?" Mindy asked, curiously.

Samuel looked at her for a moment, then raised one of his hands, she saw a small wire running up his arm to his thumb, he bent his fingers back like he was Spider man, he grabbed the wire with his middle, and ring fingers, and pulled the wire up his palms, so that is was taught tight up against his palm, then he jerked his wrist back, and out of the bracers he was wearing came a hidden blade.

"Holy shit!" You've got hidden blades in those things? That's just like from assassins creed!" Dave stated with disbelief.

"Just because it's from a video game, doesn't mean that it doesn't have useful real-world applications." Samuel replied, as he let the string go, and the blade retracted.

"I want one..." Dave stated to Mindy.

"Shut up." Mindy chided in a pouting fashion. She was sure she played a shit-load more video games then fucking Samuel, why in the fuck didn't she think of something like that?

"So what does that symbol on your mask mean?" Dave asked with a shake of his head.

"It's Japanese, it means Dragon." Samuel replied.

"Cool..." Dave said with a nod, as the rest of the group poured into the room. A few of them made comments about Samuel's costume, but most were silent.

"Are we all ready to go?" Dave asked the group as they finished arriving.

The group members nodded, each person carried they're own look, they ranged from nervous to pumped, to solemn, and ready to do what needed to be done.

"Let's get this done!" Dave stated with authority.

"...and send that bastard to hell in the process!" Mindy added as the all piled into the SUV's.

The group member drove in silence down to the street, where they needed to be. The two SUV park in a back alley a few blocks away, while Duncan and Natasha left to go set up on top of one of the buildings. The street was surrounded on either side buy ten, to fifteen story buildings and was located just outside of downtown Manhattan.

Most of the group members sat huddled inside the SUV, it was lightly snowing outside but there was a chance of a blizzard later this afternoon, right now there was only a thin layer of snow on the ground, no more that a few centimeters.

They still had a few hours until the convoy arrived and it was pretty cramped inside the cars, each SUV only had seating for four, so the rest of the group and to crouch in the back, that meant ten people per car.

"Remind me to ask Harper for two more of these." Mindy said with a huff as she rubbed her cheeks. The cars were still warming up, and it was about ten degrees outside.

"Anyone feel really bad for Duncan and Natasha?" Todd asked over the radio.

"Fuck yeah I do. Poor bastards." Dave replied meekly.

"Holy shit! I don't think my nipples have ever been this hard." Natasha chimed in over the radio.

Everyone started to laugh, even Andrei found it funny. "I think they are hard enough to cut steel at this point." Natasha added after a moment.

Most of the group member burst out laughing, at that.

"Hey... I don't wanna hear any complaining. My balls have crawled up inside of my body for warmth." Duncan joked.

Everyone kept laughing.

The group sat and waited, occasionally two or three people would talk about nothing really interesting, but the conversation would quickly die out. Everyone was waiting, every minute felt like an hour, and yet eventually Natasha's voice chimed over the radio.

"Okay... I've got them leaving the port."

"Did you hack into the harbor security cameras?" Mindy asked as the group, began to stretch and crack their bones.

"Yes, they're leaving right now, and should be here in ten minutes." Natasha replied.

"Okay... lets get ready. Everyone keep an eye open for Chris and his cunts." Dave ordered over the radio. As he finished speaking, everyone pulled out their guns and began double checking them, making absolutely sure that they were ready.

After a moment the first SUV pulled away, and went down another road, they went to get into position. While the other groups took a collective breath and waited.

"Convoy arriving!" Duncan called out over the radio.

"...and so it begins..." Dave muttered to himself.

The convoy consisted of ten vehicles, the first two in line were Humvee's, then there were three large army trucks, then a Striker IFV, then two more trucks, then finally two more Humvee's.

The convoy turned down the street, and drove for a few moments, the whole time the heroes held their collective breaths. Once the whole convoy was on the street, Chris made his move...

Two large armored buses barreled out of one of the side streets, and blocked the front of the convoy, while at the same time, two other buses did the same at the rear of the convoy, effectively boxing them in.

After a moment the windows on the buses slid open, and the cunts started firing out of them. The first and the last vehicles in the convoy, were quickly shredded by all the gunfire.

"Should we go?" Katie asked as everyone listened to Duncan's description of the events.

"No! We need to wait until the cunts are in the thick of fighting otherwise we won't last ten seconds out there." Dave shouted in reply.

"The IFV is down!" Duncan shouted over the radio. "We've got RPG's on the second floor of the opposite building!"

"Try to take them out Duncan, but don't forget to signal us when the cunts enter melee." Mindy ordered.

"Can do!" Duncan shouted in reply.

A few moments of intense gunfire went by as all of the soldiers began taking cover in between vehicles, about two thirds of them were dead, and now their heavy weapons were destroyed, after a moment the cunts stopped shooting, and began to pile out of the buses.

"Here they come!" Duncan shouted.

"Right! Let's go!" Dave shouted over the radio.

And like that the heroes sprung into action, both SUV tore down the side roads they were on and drove straight into the fight.

The cars came to a stop, and all the heroes jumped out, they were just off the street. All of heroes got out, just as the horde of cunts charged towards the soldiers. Their was about eighteen soldiers left, they shot up and started firing into the oncoming cunts... they managed to kill a few but the cunts were armored, and closing fast.

The heroes closed in on the soldiers and joined them.

"Where the fuck did you guys come from!" One of the soldiers shouted.

"Later!" Mindy shouted in reply, as she nodded for her team to get ready to move.

"We're here to help! Just make sure your guys don't shoot us!" Dave shouted to the highest ranked soldier, he was a lieutenant.

The groups were all hiding in between vehicles as they heard the cunts close the gap...

"We'll handle the melee! You guys give us cover!" Mindy ordered the soldiers.

"What do we do LT!" One of the soldiers shouted.

"Fuck it! Do what they say!" He replied after a moment.

"Let's do this!" Dave shouted as the heroes broke from cover, and charged into cunts.

Most of the heroes broke into melee, but some stuck to fighting at close range with their guns. They stuck close to their teams, and they tried to stay coordinated. Mindy spun gracefully through the cunts, there were so many of them, once again Chris had brought his whole army. Mindy had to keep on her feet, and she didn't have time to focus any of her attacks, all she could do was keep moving and lashing out at anything that resembled a cunt.

Dave and Andrew were fighting back to back, Andrew sounded like he was having the time of his life, Dave was fighting with his swords while Andrew fought with his Ax. Eiliegh and Marcus were behind one of the cars taking shots at the cunts, Marcus with his M4, and Eiliegh with her bow. Barbara and Peter fought back to back, as was their custom. While Lisa, Crystal, and Donald were all taking cover behind a truck, they were trying to cover the Zombie Couple.

Mindy finished off another cunt, then dove into a roll, and as she came up from it she let two of her throwing knives fly, each one embedded itself in a cunt. She looked over just in time to see three cunts fall, their chests cut open, Samuel was standing in between them. A few cunts charged towards him, as they closed he counter charged, Mindy was forced to stop and stare in awe... Samuel moved with such grace and elegance it was almost beautiful, he charged through the crowd of cunts and diced them to peaces, all while avoiding their strikes. It was like he was a combination of Spartacus, and Snake eyes, each movement was precise and brutal, limbs quickly started flying through the air. One cunt brought up a fire ax and tried to bring it down on Samuel's head, in reply Samuel dropped to his knee, raised his blade to block his strike, and then he used his hidden wrist blade, to stab the man in the stomach.

Mindy quickly refocused her attention, and continued to fight through the crowd, she glanced over just in time to see Andrei blow a cunt in half with his shotgun. He looked over just in time to see Mother Russia emerge from the crowd.

* * *

"I had no idea you would be here." Andrei commented as he slung his shotgun and drew his Scimitars.

"I'd recognize that voice anywhere!" Mother Russia said with a smirk.

"I have been looking forward to this for a long time!" Andrei growled.

"A psychopath like you, is only useful as an attack dog, once you have fulfilled your usefulness, you should be put down." Mother Russia stated, mockingly as she drew her machete.

"We will see who puts down who." Andrei stated darkly, before charging towards her.

* * *

Dave quickly put down another cunt, when suddenly he felt someone barrel into him. The person rolled off of him, as Dave managed to regain his balance and shoot back to his feet. He looked over to see that Chris was the one that tackled him.

Chris looked over at him and grinned widely, he pulled out a wicked looking combat knife and a baton that looked kinda weird.

"You ready to die DAVE!" Chris shouted.

"I have been waiting for this for a long time!" Dave growled as he twirled his swords in his hands.

After a moment Dave charged at him, he lashed out with one of his swords, but Chris blocked it with his knife, he then jabbed Dave in the chest with the baton, the strike wasn't hard but it didn't need to be. Dave felt a jolt pass through his body, as the baton made contact with his chest, he stumbled back a few feet, before realizing that it was a shock baton.

"Like my new toy? It's brand new!" Chris boasted.

"Bring all the fancy toys you want! They're not going to stop me from killing you!" Dave shouted as he unsheathed a few throwing knives and hurdled them at Chris.

Chris dove out of the way, barely escaping the knives. Dave charged towards him a fast as he could, and tackled Chris as he was getting to his feet.

* * *

All the while the heroes kept fighting, Todd was standing over Donald who was clutching his head, there was a lot of blood coming from it. Dominic was kneeling in front of Crystal, who had a huge gash on her hips, she was bleeding profusely, One of the soldiers, who was a medic was bravely trying to make his way to her.

Andrei and Mother Russia had lost their weapons and were fighting hand to hand, to anyone spectating, each strike looked like it was delivered with the force of a jack-hammer.

Samuel was on a killing spree, he had probably downed about thirty cunts since the fighting started, he was fighting near one of the remaining Humvee's, he quickly rolled over it's hood like a bad-ass, as he rolled over it, he pulled out his pistol and shot four cunts in the head like it was nothing, the guy still didn't have a scratch on him.

* * *

Mindy flipped a cunt onto his back, and drove her rope knife into his throat. She looked up just in time to see a man wearing urban camouflage, he also had a red bandanna on his head, it had the Canadian flag on it, break from the crowd and march towards Aiko, who had been forced to fight up close with her katana. Mindy recognized him instantly, he was the assassin that tried to kill Andrei, she noticed his gun knives in his hands.

Aiko turned to deal with him a he approached, all the while Mindy was trying to call out to her, to warn her of about his weapons, but she was to far away and it was way too loud. He suddenly broke into a charge, and slammed into Aiko, she brought up her swords to block his knives, as the two stood dead-locked, glaring into each others eyes, the assassin made his move, and twisted one of his knives so that it was facing Aiko's body, he quickly pulled the trigger, and shot rang out and passed right through Aiko's shoulder. She let out a wail of pain and stumbled back a few feet, her free arm shooting to cover her wound, she got a few feet back before falling to the ground.

The assassin stared down at her as she tried to regain her footing, he slowly raised one of his knives and aimed it at her.

Aiko's life flashed before her eyes as she heard the gun knife go off, after a moment when she didn't feel the bullet hit her, she opened her eyes to see Ace standing in front of her. Aiko's eyes widened in disbelief, she could just barely make out, a small bullet hole through his lower back, the bullet must have passed through his body, but Ace didn't flinch, he kept himself standing tall. After a moment he raised his trench knives and charged forward, the assassin held a look of shock and was unable to react when Ace barreled into him. Ace delivered a punch to the guys stomach and then a right cross to his face, his trench knife cutting the guys cheek open in the process.

The pain, forced the assassin out of his shocked state, and he let out a wail of pain, before regaining his composure and then going postal, the assassin started screeching and screaming as he attacked Ace.

Ace stumbled back a few feet, but was caught by Aiko who had finally got to her feet. "That was dumb and reckless, you know!" She growled at him as she raised her sword with her good arm.

"Yeah well... we're a team... what can I say..." Ace replied with a shrug.

"Ass..." Aiko stated with a smirk.

"Let's kill this bitch!" Ace stated with a crack of his neck.

"Oh... hell yeah!" Aiko agreed.

Dave and Chris' fight had spilled onto the side walk, Dave was fighting with his machete and backup knife, while Chris was just down to his combat knife. The two were locked in a death glare with each other. After a moment they charged at each other once again, Dave's superior size and weight gave him the advantage as he knocked Chris back onto his ass, Dave quickly took this opportunity to pounce on Chris.

He pinned Chris to the ground, he grabbed the hand with the knife in it, and began slamming it repeatedly into the concrete surface.

Chris let out a scream of pain as he released the knife, Dave quickly pressed his blade to Chris' throat.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to do this." Dave hissed at him.

Dave brought his knife hand back and punched Chris across the face.

"That was for Big Daddy!" He shouted as he punched him again.

"That was for Colonel Stars and Stripes!" Dave shouted as he punched him once again.

"That was for Miranda, and this was for Katie!" Dave growled as he delivered two more punches.

"...and this..." Dave stated as placed the knife over Chris' heart. "This is for my father, you son of a bitch!"

Dave brought the knife back and began to bring it down. It was finally happening... Chris was about to die... his goal... was about to be fulfilled, as the blade came down, the faces of everyone who Chris had hurt flashed into Dave's head. "It's finally over..." He thought to himself, as the blade got closer...

Suddenly a hand caught his, stopping the blade. Dave's eyes shot to a gloved hand wrapped around his... he traced it up the arm, which was covered by a black long sleeve shirt, He got to the chest, it was covered by black body armor that covered every side of his body, it had dark blue, Chinese symbols on it. Dave looked up to the face of the mysterious individual.

What he saw was frightening, even for him, this person was wearing a mask like the samurai would, it had evil jagged teeth in the open mouth, the mans head was painted dark blue, and he had black war paint around his eyes like Bid Daddy. The guy in general was pretty big, he was about six and a half feet tall and probably weighed about two hundred and forty pounds. Even through the shirt, Dave could tell that this guy was made up of pure muscle.

"Now... we can't have you killing our newest recruit..." The man stated in a voice that, reminded Dave of Madara, and Obito Uchiha's voice from the English dubbed naruto games. It was insanely deep, and menacing.

"Wait!" Dave thought to himself, as he was studying this guys appearance. "Did he say newest..."

Suddenly the man twisted Dave's arm and swung his leg out and spin kicked Dave in the chest, knocking him back four or five feet. Dave felt all of the wind leave his body, this guy was insanely strong.

Dave got to his feet, as the mystery man helped Chris to his feet.

Dave looked at the man for a moment. When suddenly he heard Mindy shouting over the radio.

"Run! Just go!" She shouted.

Dave turned around to observe the fight. His eyes widened in disbelief, out of the two buildings on either side of the convoy, men were spilling out. These guys were dressed in all black, each one had a medium bullet-proof shield and a short gladius sword, they also had an assortment of guns strapped to their bodies. As they filed out of the buildings they fell into position, but get this, they were forming a testudo with their shields, they were using this formation to close on the soldiers and the heroes without getting shot... there was probably two hundred guys in all. Dave saw a few members of Justice Forever in the SUV's, Mindy was shouting at them to just leave, because her and a handful of others were surrounded by cunts. After a moment the cars spun away down one of the back streets, the mysterious soldiers, ignored them.

Dave knew who these men were... they had to be... He didn't get to finish his thought as he felt something strike him in the back of the head, knocking him out.

* * *

-later-

Dave awoke on his knees, he was missing his head gear. He looked around and found that he and about twelve others were kneeling in two tows in front, both group were facing each other. On one side were soldiers, and on the other were heroes. Dave saw Samuel, Marcus, Andrei, Duncan, Natasha, and Mindy on the other side.

"Dave.. you're awake!" Mindy stated meekly.

"What happened?" He asked as he examined his friends, they were all pretty decently fucked up, all except for Samuel who looked to be fine.

"They surrounded us, and captured us, they snuck up the roof and caught these two." Mindy replied nodding towards Duncan and Natasha.

"Sorry guys..." Natasha said with a sad smile.

"Don't be sorry, you guys... none of us saw this coming..." Dave replied sadly.

Each person had a soldier behind them with a gun to their head. After a moment the mysterious man and Chris walked up to them.

"So you're finally awake." The mysterious man said as he knelt in front of Dave.

"Yeah... I am... Cain..." Dave replied darkly.

"Ah, good, so we have no need for introductions then. I am Cain... and you are Dave Lisewski, the leader of this band of heroes." Cain stated with a clap of his hands.

"I wish I had time to talk, but we only have three minutes until the army has mobilized their response... in three minutes this area will be swarmed by helicopters... and five minutes after that, the ground forces will arrive, so we have eight minutes to work with." Cain said with a degree of happiness... A soldier walked up to him with a little box, as he turned around to retrieve it, Dave saw a large red dragon painted onto the back of his armor.

He pulled a revolver and one bullet out of the box, Dave's eyes slightly widened as he saw this, the rest of the heroes shifted with unease.

"We're going to play a little game..." Cain stated as he loaded the revolver then gave the barrel a spin before slapping it closed.

"I'm going to place this barrel to the heads of your friends, and I'm going to look to you for a reply, if you choose for me to not shoot your friend then I will shoot, at one of these soldiers instead, we'll just go down the line and we'll see who you care most about." Cain stated menacingly, Dave could see Mindy's eyes shoot to him, she was at the end of the line, so she would be the last to go, but that didn't matter, Mindy knew what Dave would do when the gun got to her, she knew it with all her heart, and as her gaze fell to the lieutenant from earlier, that sat across from her, she wished with all her might that she could change what might happen.

Andrei was first, Cain placed the gun to his head and looked over at Dave, Dave's look was one of a broken man... how could he do this, how could he choose between his team members, or innocent soldiers. He wanted to choose his team, but in the end he knew that, that was the selfish thing to do, so Dave just dropped his gaze. Andrei had a focused look, he was resolved to this. Dave's head hung as he heard the hammer fall back and then... click...

Dave looked up as Cain moved on to the next person, Duncan. Dave quickly scanned his face, if their was even a hint, that Duncan wanted Dave to save him, that would be all Dave needed, but he didn't see anything... Duncan's face was stone. After a moment Dave dropped his gaze and he heard the hammer fall back... click.

Next was Marcus, once again Dave scanned his face, and once again, he saw an unwavering resolve, Marcus was a cop... he came to terms with his own death, a long time ago. Dave let his gaze drop again, and bit his lip as he heard the hammer fall back, he also caught the sound someone inhaling slightly, it had to be Mindy.

Click.

Dave looked up, next was Natasha... Dave felt terrible... three in a row... what are the chances? Once again he searched her face... she looked scared, Dave was about to speak, when suddenly she glanced over at him a gave him a sad smile... Dave hung his head again... this time a stray tear fell from it. The hammer fell back... click.

Dave's eyes shot back up as Cain moved on to Samuel... Cain stood there for a second lingering on him, before raising the gun to his head.

Samuel's face was stone... Dave didn't like his odds... but still, he couldn't say anything. The hammer fell back... click...

Dave felt a horror creep inside of him... one shot left... one person left... Mindy's eyes shot toward him as he looked up at her... she took a deep breath and tried to appear strong...Dave stared back, tears in his eyes... Mindy could tell he was breaking in two... it was either her... or an innocent soldier. Dave stared at her...all of the faces of the people that he had lost began passing through his head... when they finished passing by, they were accompanied by two people... one was Mindy... Dave let out a sob as that thought came to mind... and then another person appeared... this one was him... Dave looked deep into her eyes... before finally sputtering "I'm sorry."

Everyone looked over at him... as his head slowly dropped to the floor. Mindy felt a weight lift off of her... he did it... he made the right choice... she stared sadly at him... never feeling more proud of her lover, then she did at that moment... all of the heroes bowed their heads as the hammer fell back...

Every moment, every touch, every kiss... every single memory of her time with Dave, flashed through her head... their first kiss... when he taught her about sex... the first time they made love... as her mind got to the present... the dream she had, had earlier passed through her mind.. and then an image... a single image... of her and Dave standing in a field and in their arms was a little bundle... Mindy felt tears streaming down her face, at that thought... "Mommy... Daddy... I think the game is over..." Mindy thought to herself as her Dad... flashed into her mind... he had a warm, goofy smile on his face...

*****click*

Mindy's eye shot open as she looked down the barrel of the gun.

She saw Cain staring down at her...

"It seems I have found the one that you care most about... and it would seem that god has granted you a pardon from the after life." Cain stated as he opened the barrel and took the bullet out, he dropped it on the ground in front of Mindy before handing the revolver to one of his soldiers.

"That revolver has a broken chamber... If you load a bullet into the broken chamber... then there is a one in five chance that the bullet wont go off... It seems that god has spared you." Cain stated as he turned, and knelt in front of Samuel.

Samuel just stared at him, as Cain pulled him in close and whispered something to him... Dave saw Samuel's eyes widen, and as he was about to say something... the soldier behind him... clocked him in the back of the head, knocking him out.

Cain stood and started to walk away... "You are free to go... we are out of time for today..." He stated as his men followed after him.

"What! You're letting them go? What the Fuck!" Chris shouted angrily.

"You didn't win this fight... I did... that makes their lives mine... if you want to kill them... then grow stronger... and beat them in combat... These young warriors have earned the right to a glorious death." Cain stated without looking back.

"Fuck!" Chris shouted after a second.

"Watch your back DAVEY! NEXT TIME YOU WONT BE SO LUCKY!" Chris hissed angrily as he motioned for his cunts to follow Cain.

"Legionaries! Fall out!" Cain shouted to his troops.

As the legionaries and cunts dispersed... Mindy dove over to where Dave was kneeling. "Are you alright?" She asked as she pulled him into a hug...

"Mindy, I am so sorry..." Dave started, but Mindy cut him off with a kiss.

"You are the bravest man I know! It took a lot of courage to do the right thing... thank you, Dave." She praised him as a few stray tears fell from her eyes...

"Look... you guys might wanna get your friend and get out of here." The Lieutenant from earlier stated.

"Thank you." Marcus replied as he and Duncan picked up Samuel.

"No..." The soldier replied with a humbled look. "Thank you..."

_Okay that's it for this chapter... let me know how you guy like it... and don't forget to answer my question, from the beginning... look forward to the next chapter soon... leter!_


	24. Chapter 24

_Okay so moving onto chapter 24... I appreciate all of the feed back and I like all of the suggestions that people are offering me... I've got a lot of ideas in my head... with that being said... the more ideas I have at my disposal the longer this story will play out... I don't intend for this story to be an endless bout between our heroes and villains... I intend for each action to have a consequence and I intend to make each fight and each battle between our heroes and villains memorable. So... with that being said... let's begin. Also... I just started my job so, sadly the updates will be coming at longer intervals, I will try to find time to write new chapters but it's going to be a slower process... just know that I will try my best to keep the chapters coming at a regular pace... and that any feedback you can give me, will inspire me to go faster, sorry but I am a review whore and it get's me pumped to right another chapter when I read reviews..._

_**Fall of a Hero, Rise of a Legend**_

Chapter 24

"Holy Shit! You guys are alive!" Marty shouted as Dave, Mindy, Andrei, Natasha, and Marcus came through the door. Marcus and Andrei were carrying Samuel who was still unconscious.

"Fuck... we though you guys were goners..." Todd stated breathlessly.

"He let us go..." Dave said in a low voice, he sounded ashamed.

"What?" Marty asked, giving Dave a worried look.

"The son of a bitch played Russian roulette with our heads, and then let us go..." Mindy said with a shake of her head as she sat down on the couch.

"Who? Who were those guys?" Todd asked as he sat next to Mindy.

"The Order of Carnage..." Dave replied, as he leaned against a wall and stared up at the ceiling.

"That was Cain?" Marty asked as a cold twinge of fear shot up his spine.

"Yeah..." Dave stated with a faraway look.

"Did you see him?" Todd asked.

"He's the one that played Russian roulette with us." Mindy cleared up.

"Are you shitting me? So you spoke to him?" Marty asked breathlessly.

"Look... we'll talk about it later..." Dave replied wearily. "Let me know when Samuel wakes up."

"Sure..." Marcus replied with a far away look in his eyes.

"How are the others?" Mindy asked as Dave departed.

"Lot's of injuries, but I don't think any are life threatening... then again I'm not a doctor..." Marty replied with a weary shrug.

"Yeah?" Mindy asked hopefully.

"Yeah..." Marty stated with a happy smile.

"Is something wrong with Dave?" Todd asked in a worried tone.

Mindy looked down the hallway that Dave had departed through. She wondered if he was still dwelling on what happened today.

"You should go check on him." Marcus stated, reading her mind.

"Yeah... I think I'll do that." Mindy said more to herself than anyone else.

Mindy quickly followed after Dave, he hadn't said much on their trip home, and Mindy could tell that something was bothering him.

She found him sitting in their room his costume was half off, and his face was red, like he'd been crying.

"Dave..." Mindy stated as she stepped into the room.

He looked up at her with sad eyes, Mindy knew immediately what was bothering him.

"Dave... about what happened..." She began but he cut her off.

"I'm sorry!" He cried painfully.

Mindy immediately dropped to her knees beside him. "Dave... you have nothing to apologize for... I told you already... you made the right choice." Mindy tried to comfort him.

"No, I... If that gun had gone off... I..." Dave sputtered out.

"Dave... It didn't go off. I'm okay... and even if it had, you would have saved the life of an innocent man..." Mindy tried again.

"I came that close to losing you..." Dave whimpered as tears began to pour from his eyes.

"Dave... I chose to be a hero... I chose to risk my life protecting people... you let me do that today... I don't think I could have lived with myself knowing that an innocent man died in my place..." Mindy stated with a small smile, as she pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you for not putting that weight on my shoulders..." Mindy whispered into his ear. "Thanks for giving me the chance to go out a hero."

"I don't think I could live without you..." Dave whispered in reply, as he finally returned her hug.

"You'd find a way... you're a lot stronger than I am... I could never have chosen someone else's life over yours" Mindy stated sadly.

"No I wouldn't... I'd rather kill myself than be without you..." Dave said with tear filled eyes as he pulled back to look at her.

Mindy knew, deep down that he was telling the truth. He wouldn't be able to live without her... and there was a very real possibility of him killing himself, if she ever died... Hell, Mindy was the same way. Neither could live without the other...

They held each other for a few moments before they heard Andrew singing in the halls. Mindy and Dave quickly got to their feet and went out to see what he was doing.

They found him in the living room with Miranda in his arms singing "If you want my love" by Cheap Trick. Poor Miranda was red faced.

"What the hell is he doing?" Mindy asked with a giggle.

"He's been doing shit like this since we got back." Donald replied with a wide grin. His head was bandaged up, he had a cracked skull.

"She got some pretty good cuts and scrapes, I think he's trying to make her feel better." Donald added after another moment.

"Well at least someone is in good spirits!" Dave stated with a small smirk.

"Someone has to be... Sure we got our asses kicked, and Chris got away... but at least no one was killed." Donald said keeping his smile.

"Yeah, that's right. No one was killed!" Mindy sarcastically retorted looking at Dave.

Dave just stared at her for a second before letting out a huff and smiling at her. Mindy smiled in return, knowing that she finally got through to him.

After a moment, Peter and Barbara entered the room. "For the love of god, Andrew... if there has to be music, at least play the real thing." Peter said with a wide smile.

"You know what? THAT'S A PERFECT IDEA!" Andrew shouted with a grin as he walked over to the computer that sat in the room and got onto YouTube... he quickly found the song... and played the video. All the while, Miranda was doubled over the couch laughing her ass off.

"HEY! WE NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!" Katie shouted from down the hall.

Dave, Mindy, and the others all looked down the hall, they saw Katie standing in the hallway with a frightened look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Dave asked in a worried tone as he and the others ran towards her.

"It's Samuel... He is freaking the fuck out!" Katie stated with fear in her eyes.

The group members ran down the hall and found the room where Marcus and Andrei had put him.

"Calm the fuck down!" They heard Marcus growl as they entered the room.

They found the room in terrible condition... the bed was tossed and what little other furniture that was in the room, was overturned.

Samuel was standing in the center of the room glaring daggers at Marcus and Andrei.

"Move!" Samuel growled, his eyes blood shot.

"You're not going anywhere until you settle the fuck down!" Marcus replied, he had a bloody lip, and Andrei was nursing a broken nose.

"Don't make me hurt you!" Samuel threatened.

"Don't make me slap the shit outta you!" Dave sneered angrily as he entered the room.

"Tell your lap dogs to mind their own business!" Samuel shouted with contempt.

"Settle down, and tell me what the fuck your problem is!" Dave ordered, Mindy could tell from the sound of Dave's voice that he was not at all, in the mood for this.

"I'm leaving! Move out of the way and let me pass!" Samuel said in a low voice, as he narrowed his eyes at Dave.

Mindy's body began to react, she did not like the way that he was glaring at Dave. A part of her, began to contemplate, exactly what she would need to do if this whole thing went south and Samuel started a fight.

"You're not leaving! Not until you tell me what your deal is!" Dave growled as he openly challenged Samuel.

"It's none of your business. You and the rest of your lap dogs, can sit around here and fuck around for the rest of the night for all I care, I'm going after Cain..." Samuel stated in a menacing tone.

Mindy was slightly stunned by this turn of events, as long as she'd known Samuel, he had only ever shown one emotion and that seemed to be dis-interest, now he was freaking out, and he was ranging from pissed to really pissed.

"You're not going after anyone! You're going to sit your ass down... and you're going to tell me how you and Cain know each other!" Dave ordered as he took another step forward, his eyes were ablaze with anger.

"This has nothing to do with you! This is about me and him! Move out of my way, or I am going to hurt you!" Samuel threatened, murder in his eyes.

"You settle down right the fuck now... or I am going to shove my fist up your ass and work you like a puppet!" Dave hissed in reply.

By now most of the members of Justice Forever had arrived at the room. They were all staring, each one preparing to dive into the fray if this turned into a fight.

"Move! Now!" Samuel stated angrily, as his hand drifted up to his sword handle.

As his hand reached his sword, every member of Justice Forever raised a weapon of their own, ranging from blades to guns... each one was armed, and ready to beat the fuck out of Samuel.

"So the pup calls upon his pack to protect him." Samuel chided, with an angry look.

"It's called loyalty... maybe you should look it up one of these days." Dave replied as he reached for his swords.

After he unsheathed them, he looked over his shoulder at the others and gave them a grateful smile. They all caught his meaning and lowered their weapons, though most kept them in hand.

Samuel pulled his blade and locked eyes with Dave, his gaze was piercing, he did not at all enjoy Dave challenging him.

Dave slowly brought his blades up in a defensive stance, he was so calm... most of the group members found it odd, especially given the fact that Samuel had easily kicked Mindy's ass.

"If you fight me... I will kill you!" Samuel declared as he raised his blade and pointed it at Dave's head.

Dave glared at him for a second before razing his sword up over his head. "Okay... you win..." Dave said as he slowly started to lower his swords to the ground.

Every person in the room, raised an eyebrow.

"You're right Samuel... in a straight up fight... man on man... you could take anyone here..." Dave stated as he put his swords on the floor.

Samuel eyed him suspiciously, as he rose back up. "What are you playing at?"

"Nothing. I'm just stating the fact in a fair fight... you could beat anyone here." Samuel continued to stare at Dave with a confused look, he didn't realize however that Mindy had figured out what Dave was playing at, moments earlier, and she had positioned herself behind Dave, so that Samuel couldn't see her.

Dave took a step to the side, and Samuel was greeted to the sight of one of Mindy's handguns aimed at him... he didn't even have time to register the sight as Mindy pulled the trigger and shot him in the chest.

Samuel recoiled against the wall, his bulletproof vest had taken the shot, but he was not at all prepared for the shot, neither was he prepared for what followed.

As Samuel fell back against a wall, Dave dropped down and grabbed his handgun, he rose back up and began approaching Samuel, firing a shot into Samuel chest with each step.

Samuel could not regain his breath, each shot knocked the wind out of him, and in a second Dave was on him...

Dave brought his foot down and Samuel's hand forcing the sword out of it. Then he quickly grabbed both of Samuel's hands and pressed them to the wall, a moment later Dave brought his head back and delivered a head butt, directly to Samuel forehead.

Samuel cursed in pain and tried to break free but Dave had a solid grip on him and in a moment Andrew and Duncan were at Dave's side pinning Samuel's arms.

"You're an honor-less pig!" Samuel spat, nothing but contempt in his eyes.

"You come into my house... You walk around here all high and fucking mighty... some big wigs in the government may think you're hot shit... but out here, in the real world, you're just another asshole." Dave said with an angry grin on his face. Mindy couldn't help but notice how different Dave looked when he was angry, he almost looked like he was insane.

"I will make you pay for interfering with my business." Samuel hissed in reply.

"Not if I blow your brains out and call it a day." Dave threatened as he placed his gun to the bottom of Samuel's chin.

"You don't have the balls." Samuel whimpered with a menacing grin.

Dave's grin grew wider as he squeezed the trigger, everyone's breath caught in their throat as they heard the hammer fall back.

"_click"_

"Oops would you look at that, my gun seems to be outta ammo." Dave chided as he rose to his feet and twirled the gun in his hand.

"Enough!" Came a familiar voice as Harper emerged from the crowd.

"It took you long enough to get here." Samuel stated plainly.

"Keep up the attitude Sam, and I'll leave you with them." Harper warned as he locked eyes with Dave.

Dave just scratched his head with the gun and began to walk past Harper. He stopped when he was right next to him. "I'm going to need an explanation."

Harper just nodded in reply.

"Fix your broken ass super spy!" Dave growled as he looked back at Samuel.

"If you ever threaten any member of my team again... There won't be a fight. There wont be any last words. You will never see it coming... I'm simply going to walk up and shoot you... in the head." Dave finished with murder in his eyes. Samuel simply stared back at Dave for a moment before rolling his eyes in defeat.

"Cain left us alive... Do any of you know why?" Dave asked, addressing everyone.

Dave continued after a moment of silence. "He left us alive for one reason, and one reason only... to show us, what he already knows, that at any time, at any place, and in any manner he chooses, he can wipe us out, and there is nothing we can do to stop him." Dave explained, with a great deal of anger present in his voice.

"...and you know what? He's right... we can't beat him. Not like we are now. If we ever want to have a chance at defeating this man, each one of us is going to have to rededicate ourselves to becoming better heroes. We have to be better, otherwise... we're walking dead men." Dave declared.

"You don't even realize how fucked you really are." Samuel said with a laugh.

"I guess that means your old friend has finally returned." Harper stated as the group members looked over at Samuel.

"Did you know, Harper?" Samuel asked as he got to his feet.

"We had our suspicious, only a member of the DRAGON program could be this coordinated, and gain this much power." Harper affirmed with a scratch of his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Samuel growled as he tried to take a step forward, but Andrew and Duncan still had a grip on him.

"We didn't' know for sure... besides... your current attitude is proving to me that we made the correct choice in not telling you." Harper stated coldly.

Samuel glared daggers at him, but Harper didn't even react, he just stared back with a cool look on his face. After a moment Samuel let out a sigh, and finally regained his composure.

"You mind explaining?" Dave asked.

"Look... most of this information is beyond classified... so you're are just going to have to trust me on this... I don't have the authorization to tell you anything. In regards to Samuel and Cain's relationship... one of the failed assassination attempts on Cain, was carried out by Samuel here... and it's a very sore spot... let's just leave it at, Samuel got his ass handed to him worse than Mindy did." Harper explained.

Dave stared back... he finally understood what had set the mute off. Dave had known from the moment, Samuel was introduced to the team, that he had to be a perfectionist... Dave could tell that Samuel was not the kind of man to ever screw up, and when he did, it hit his pride like a fucking freight train. The fact that he failed to kill Cain before, must really be a source of frustration for Samuel. Dave could understand that, he himself dealt with similar frustrations when it came to Chris, that didn't make it alright, and it most certainly wouldn't stop Dave from bashing the pricks skull in, if he ever tried anything like this again, but at the very least he could understand where Samuel was coming from.

"What information can you give us on Cain?" Mindy finally chimed in.

"We had assumed that Cain and his army, would have entered into the city, by air or sea... we were wrong... his army arrived in California... and from there, they made their way, quietly across the country towards New York... if we're right, Cain's been in the city for about a week now." Harper explained.

"What the hell has he been doing all this time?" Todd asked, with a little worry.

"Watching. Waiting. Planning. He's been doing what he does best... and now, he's launched his plans into action... the war has officially begun." Harper stated with a serious look on his face.

"What can we expect from Chris and the Cunts, now that Cain is here?" Dave asked with a bemused look on his face.

"Cain will turn Chris into one of his lieutenants, the cunts will be drafted into his army, and he'll turn them into legionaries." Harper replied with the same look.

"Damn..." Was all Dave said in reply.

"Look at the list of psychopaths Cain has working for him... Chris will feel right at home." Marty chimed in.

"Things have gotten a whole lot worse then you know... We've been able to identify four more members of Cains 'inner circle'. We've just been informed, after an autopsy was done on someone who had recently been put to death by lethal injection, that she was not in fact the woman that had been convicted of the crimes she was killed for. The woman's name was Helen Wolf, aka The Bloodbath Queen." Harper said with a deadpanned look.

Most everyone's eyes widened in horror, The Bloodbath Queen, was a former drug lord from L.A. she took over her fathers crime syndicate, at the age of fifteen, and over the course of ten years she terrorized the city of L.A. Eventually she was caught when the FBI raided the compound she was hiding in and killed all of her men. She was eventually found guilty of murdering over one hundred people, including twelve cops, four FBI agents, and the former mayor of L.A.

"Are you saying that bitch escaped?" Mindy asked, breathlessly.

"No... not escaped, broken out... and someone was left in her place... a body double. We don't know how it was done... but we have reason to believe it was Cain and his men who were responsible for breaking her out." Harper said with a scratch of his head.

"Shit!" Mindy cursed. That bitch was world famous, and everyone knew how deadly she was... if she was with Cain, then they really had to watch their backs.

"It gets worse from there... a friend of mine from INTERPOL heard about my situation and decided to drop by and give me some Intel... he informed me of three extra members that had joined Cain's faction, that we were previously unaware of. The first is Ivan McCain, aka The Spetsnaz Cyborg..." Harper explained, as he mentioned his name, Andrei let out an angry sigh.

"What is it, brother?" Natasha asked.

"My squad and I spent three and a half months chasing that man, after he fled the Spetsnaz. He is wanted for the murder of two of his men. He fled to escape court martial, and led us on a chase throughout Russia. Eventually we cornered him in a small village, and began searching for him... we searched every single building but we could not find where he had escaped to... this man is crazy... even more so than Mother Russia... we must be weary of him." Andrei explained, his eyes narrow and focused.

"Yes... well... the other two are Mombasa Gbao, aka The Devil of Sierra Leone. He was a member of the R.U.F, his father was one of the leaders of the group, who helped him escape to the U.S. after he set fire to a church and killed over fifty people. The other person is Haji Ali, The Somalia Boogeyman. He is the most notorious pirate in the history of Somalia... he is known to have single-handedly captured over a dozen vessels... a few of them were U.S. ships, he is known for killing everyone aboard, and leaving only one survivor to tell of his exploits. These men are extraordinarily dangerous... and if they are all, in fact, working with Cain... then our problems are only beginning." Harper stated with a look that mirrored what everyone was feeling... a sense of worry.

* * *

-Later-

Mindy lie awake in bed thinking about the days events. Harper ended up taking Samuel and they left. Most of the group member found themselves in different areas of the headquarter doing nothing really interesting, eventually Mindy made the rounds and took note of all the injuries. A few people had some gunshot wounds like Ace and Aiko, and a few had some large stab wounds or cuts, but otherwise the member of Justice Forever had escaped the fray relatively unharmed. Another interesting thing occurred after Samuel and Harper left, Ace was sitting in the armory getting stitched up, the bullet had passed through his lower back, though had miraculously missed his organs, so he was fine, he was sitting there when Aiko walked in, walked right up to him and pulled him into a kiss. Duncan who was stitching him up at the time just cocked and eyebrow and looked the other way. Aiko pulled away and whispered "Thank you." before leaving.

Mindy remembered just staring over at Ace from across the room as he adopted a cheesy smile. "I saved her life..." He told Duncan as the former soldier just let out a small laugh and got back to work.

Mindy thought about all of the members of Justice Forever, all of her allies. You had Todd, the goofy loner, looking to rekindle his friendship with Dave, and trying his hardest to redeem himself in his friends eyes. You had Marty, the loyal friend, he was always willing to help, anyone and everyone. There was Katie, Dave ex-girlfriend, who had joined so that she could take revenge against Chris, but now it seemed she had forgotten about vengeance and only cared to help. There was Marcus, Mindy's kind and protective caregiver, he was protective of her, but he also held a great deal of admiration for her, it took a while, but now that Marcus knew exactly what Mindy went through, as a hero, he was beginning to develop a great deal of respect for his young ward. Then came Donald, Doctor Gravity, he always had a smile on his face, he was always cool, always helpful, and always willing to support others in their endeavors.

Mindy smiled up at the ceiling as she continued to run through all of the members of the team. She smirked as she thought of Duncan, the suave, sexy, British soldier, he was kind, but determined, he had a keen knowledge of battle and was a proficient killer, and yet, there was a gentleness about him, something that spoke of his cloudy past. Next came Dominic, the fun-loving laid back ex DEA agent, who loved to just kick back and enjoy life, but wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, Dominic was utterly fearless and it showed every time they went into battle.

After him, she thought of Ace, the laid back, ex street thug turned hero, Ace was the kind of guy you just wanted to go out and have a beer with after a long day of work, he was cool and funny, but could turn into a really brutal fighter in a flash. Then came Miranda, aka Night Bitch, one of the original members of Justice Forever, she was sassy and cool, always willing to tease and rile up other members of the group, but she never took it too far, and she was always willing to settle down and get serious.

What can be said about Peter and Barbara, the zombie loving couple were inseparable, yeah they had their occasional arguments, but they always made up, and it was obvious from the way that they looked at each other, they the two were crazy about one another. Mindy often hoped that her and Dave's relationship would be that strong then they had reached that age.

Next came Eileigh, the young blonde archer from Mindy's school, she was quickly becoming Mindy's official gal-pal. Mindy loved having a girl for a friend, but what she enjoyed even more, was that Eileigh was also a hero, the two could talk about things that Mindy couldn't talk about with the others... it didn't hurt that she was the same age as Mindy.

Next was Aiko, the bitch... Mindy laughed as that thought came to her head. Aiko was well mannered, and everybody except for Mindy loved her to death, Mindy just found her too damn perfect, that Asian bitch was always solving everybody's problems and it just seemed like she was too convenient.

After her came Crystal, the ex U.S. soldier, who had lost her sister and parents to criminals. Crystal was a stern and authoritative woman, but she wasn't above joking and kidding around with the others, she was rash and brutal in their training sessions and Mindy found that she enjoyed her company.

Then there was Lisa, the ex Mossad officer. She was also stern, but she was much more lenient then Crystal. Lisa was always happy to just sit and talk to someone, she always had a gentle look about her, but the look was deceptive, as she was one of the most proficient killers in the group.

Then came Andrew... Andrew was one of a kind, he was basically bat shit insane, and you could never really tell what he was thinking, but over the course of the last few days, he was quickly establishing himself as Dave's right hand man. Know one knew for sure, but for some reason he seemed to gravitate towards Dave, it was kind of strange. Andrew was definitely the funniest son of a bitch in the world, he'd go from screaming the most insane dribble, to singing songs. He was just fun to be around, and a great guy to have at your back in a fight, all that needed to be said when it came to Andrew's fighting style, was walking tank.

Next was little Jaina, there thief, spy, saboteur, and all around playful cat. Describing Jaina as a cat seemed fitting, because she was quite as a mouse and she spoke in a very quite voice. Jaina was incredibly flexible, even more so then Mindy, if that could be believed, she was also shorter than Mindy which made her feel better about her own short complex. Jaina loved to talk, to anyone and everyone, she was sassy and really sweet, she also loved to run around and take peoples shit and put in in other places... the bitch.

Then we have the Russian siblings Natasha and Andrei, what can be said about them? Andrei is a stern and authoritative figure, but he is also very careful not to cross any boundaries with people, he's never the first one to joke around or get into a dick measuring contest with the other guys, and he is always respectful. Andrei has an air of authority about him, and Mindy was sure that if Dave ever gave up being the leader of the team, Andrei would probably be the one to take up the mantle, especially now that The Nightmare had arrived. Natasha on the other hand was a different story, she was a young fun loving geek, who only had two worries in the world, her friends and her lover. Natasha was always at her lovers side, Elena was the young blonde beauty that Natasha had chosen to devote her heart too, and she was trapped in a bed unable to return the gesture, it would still be a few more days until Elena was well enough to move around, but that hadn't changed the way Natasha felt, she is always by her side, and always chatting with her... Mindy often found it sweet and sometimes even a little sappy.

Finally she came to the last two unofficial members of the team, Samuel and Harper. Samuel was an asshole, and Mindy believed that if she had to some up her feeling towards him, if could be said that she hated his very existence. With that being said, he was an unparalleled fighter and his skill would be needed in the war against Cain. On the other hand was Harper, the mysterious government agent, who had been helping then all this time. The sad truth of it all, is that if Harper hadn't warned Dave and Mindy away from attacking the harbor, back during Christmas, they would be dead, and there would be no war, just an invasion.

A few moments after Mindy finished thinking about the team, Dave walked into the room, and laid next to her in bed. The two didn't say anything to one another, they were both in different worlds.

Mindy's mind drifted to Dave, her lover, the unofficial leader of the group, and the most amazing friend Mindy had ever had. Dave had lost a great deal of his goofy geeky persona, and it often saddened Mindy to see how much he had been changed by their war against Chris. With that being said, there was no one in the whole world that Mindy would rather fight beside, and she knew that if anyone could lead this group to victory against Chris and Cain, it would be Dave. Though he still need a lot of help... especially from his sexy teacher...

Mindy finished the thought with a smirk as she rolled over and draped and arm over Dave.

It was a few moment before they drifted off into slumber.

* * *

-The next day-

Mindy awoke to find Dave had left already, she quickly got dressed and wandered into the armory where he Marcus, Miranda and Andrew were putting their costumes on.

"Where in the hell are you guys going?" She asked.

"Got an email from an old friend, we're off to meet him right now." Dave replied as he put his mask on, which they recovered from the streets before returning home yesterday.

"I'll go with you..." Mindy started but Dave quickly raised his hand to stop her.

"No... I need you to stay here." Dave replied as he pulled his hood up.

"Why?" Mindy asked with a little worry.

"I need someone I trust to watch over the others... we have no idea how long it will take Cain to find this place, and one of us needs to be here at all times to watch over the others." Dave answered.

She gave him a worried, pouting look, that said how much she didn't like that idea.

Dave just let out a sigh and walked over and pulled her into a hug. "I'll be back soon." He whispered as he pulled away and walked towards the garage. The others walked past her, as they did something shiny on Marcus' outfit caught her eye.

"Whats that?" She asked him as he passed her.

"Oh, this? Natasha thought it would be cool." Marcus replied, as he pointed to a shiny silver throwing star that was attached to his duster, he also had one on his hat, the two, five sided throwing stars made him look even more like a wild west sheriff.

"hmm." Mindy replied as they both let out a small laugh and Marcus left.

Dave and the others got to his car, and quietly drove to the back alley behind Justice Forever's old hideout. They arrived and got out, it was snowing pretty hard, the blizzard that was supposed to happen yesterday arrived late.

They walked into the center of the alley but came to a stop when they heard movement. They watched as a skinny looking guy walked out from behind a dumpster, next to him was a German Shepard. Dave and Miranda recognized the two immediately.

"Insect man!" Dave said with a grin as he stepped forward.

"Hi guys... it's been a long time." Insect man said with a smile.

"How have you been?" Night Bitch asked as she stood next to Dave.

"Oh... I've had my ups and downs." He replied with a shrug.

"Is this Eisenhower?" Dave asked as he knelt in front of the dog and pulled off one of his gloves so she could smell his hand.

"Yeah... The Colonel's sister took her after he died... She got into contact with me and asked me to bring her to you." Insect man explained.

"Why?" Dave asked as Eisenhower happily licked his hand.

"I guess she figures it's what her brother would have wanted... and I think it's what Eisenhower wants too." He stated as he looked down at the dog.

"What do you say girl... you want to put the mask back on and go fight crime?" Dave asked as he scratched her ears.

Eisenhower barked happily in reply.

"I think that's a yes!" Night Bitch stated with a happy smile.

"Thank you for bringing her to us... it means a lot." Dave said as he stood and looked at Insect Man.

"Anything to help." Insect man replied as he handed Dave her leash.

"You know our door is always open... if you ever want to get back out there... their will always be a place for you in Justice Forever." Dave said with a warm smile as he took the leash.

"Well... I don't know how much help I could be... after whats been happening, you need soldiers and people with experience... not guys like me..." Insect man replied with a sad smile.

"We all started somewhere... I was just some loser kid, without a life... and now I'm a superhero... all it takes is determination... Like I said... our door is always open..." Dave replied warmly.

"I'll think about it... I really will..." Insect man stated with a nod.

"It was really good seeing you again." Night Bitch said with a smile.

"Thanks... you guys stay safe out there..." Insect man replied as he turned to leave.

"You too..." Dave called after him.

* * *

-Later-

"So, what do you think?" Mindy asked as Andrei did a thorough inspection of one of the SUV.

"I do believe I can make several modifications to turn this into and effective assault vehicle." Andrei replied as he popped the hood open.

"Cool..." Mindy replied as the garage door opened and Dave's car pulled in.

Dave and Marcus quickly got out of the car and walked up to Mindy and Andrei...

"Hey... how did it go?" Mindy asked as they approached.

"Fine... hey, quick question. Do you know if anyone is allergic to dogs?" Dave asked, as he pulled his mask off, and his hood down.

"No I don't think so. Why?" Mindy asked as Dave adopted a cheesy grin and Marcus waived over at the car.

Miranda and Andrew hopped out of the car, they were followed by a medium sized German Shepard. Mindy's face lit up when she saw the dog. "Holy shit! You guys got a dog?!"

"This is Eisenhower... she was Colonel Stars and Stripes dog, his sister wanted us to have her." Dave replied as Mindy knelt in front of Eisenhower, and extended a hand.

Eisenhower cautiously stepped forward and sniffed Mindy's hand, before stepping closer and allowing Mindy to pet her.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Mindy stated joyously, as she began scratching behind Eisenhower's ears.

"Mindy's always wanted a dog." Marcus said to Dave, who still had the biggest grin on his face.

"Well, unless someone else, really wants the responsibility, shes ours." Dave said, as he knelt next to Mindy.

"Our?" Mindy asked looking over at him.

"Yep! Eisenhower is the newest member of Justice Forever and she'll be yours and mine to take care of." Dave stated as he reached out and pet Eisenhower.

"This is so freaking awesome!" Mindy replied, she had always wanted a dog, and now she had one, and what was even cooler was this was a crime fighting dog... this was going to be so fucking cool.

"Well... let's go introduce her to the team..." Dave stated as he and Mindy stood and he handed Mindy, Eisenhower's leash.

Mindy happily excepted it and led Eisenhower to the door, Dave couldn't help but smile as she watched his young lover walk with the dog... it was nice to see Mindy so happy... and having Eisenhower would not only be a welcome benefit to the team, but a nice distraction from what had occurred the previous day.

As Dave walked after them, he couldn't help but wonder how long this peace would last and when they would once again run into The Nightmare... Cain...

_Okay chapter done... let me know what you think and I will try to get the next chapter up soon... like I said I started my job so my schedule has been thrown into chaos... so please bear with me... anyway... I cant wait to read reviews... see ya!_


	25. Unit Dossier

_**Interlude chapter 20-21**_

USERNAME: SamuelRH

PASSWORD: **********

Requesting access to restricted files:

Checking security status:

Security status confirmed:

Level Five Security Access Granted:

**Welcome agent Samuel. Please state request?**

Access restricted file: Harbinger Unit

**One Moment.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Access granted!**

* * *

_**HARBINGER UNIT: DOSSIER**_

**Warning! **_File contains sensitive documentation._

_File contains incomplete documentation._

_File contains hypothesized documentation._

**What would you like to know?**

Access: Personnel files.

**One Moment.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**File retrieved.**

**Name:** Todd Haynes

**Alias: **Asskicker

**Age: **18

**Sex:** M

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Average Height, Average Build, Short curly brown hair, Brown eyes

**Costume:** Yellow and Green Spandex suit, Weighted gloves, Kevlar vest, and Knee pads.

**Bio: **Todd is a young high-school student turned superhero, not much is known about his hero history, other than he was part of The Motherfucker's organization for a short time. After the death of Dave Lisewski's father, Todd got out of the organization, and hid at his home. He was later brought into the unit by The Fallen, and Hit Girl.

**Skills: **

Strength: Average

Speed: Low

Agility: Low

Endurance: Average

Intelligence: Average

Mental State: Pending...

**Group role: **Member

**Criminal Connection:** Previous connection to the Criminal faction: TOXIC MEGA CUNTS.

**Other info: **Not much else needs to be said on this group member. This young man is unremarkable at best.

**Threat Level:** MINIMAL**  
**

* * *

**Name:** Marty Eisenberg

**Alias: **Battle Guy

**Age: **18

**Sex: **M

**Appearance: **Caucasian, Average Height, Above Average Build, Short dark brown hair, brown eyes.

**Costume: **Greenish Blue full body suit, Black Kevlar vest, and weighted gloves, Bandanna mask.

**Bio: **One of the previous members of Justice Forever. Has a very close relationship with groups leaders. Marty was an average High-school student without much of a social life. He joined up with Justice Forever around the time of it's founding. He was brought into the group by The Fallen and Hit Girl.

**Skills:**

Strength: Average

Speed: Low

Agility: Low

Endurance: Average

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental State: Stable

**Group role: **Stabilizing Member

**Criminal Connection: **None

**Other info:** Parents are in protective custody. Use as leverage, plausible.

**Threat Level: **MINIMAL

* * *

**Name: **Katie Deauxma

**Alias: **Madam Justice

**Age:** 18

**Sex: **F

**Appearance: ** Caucasian, Average Height, Average Build, Long brown hair, Light greenish blue eyes.

**Costume: **Black and pink Spandex suit. Pink and Black face paint.

**Bio: **Katie, was an average High-school girl until she became the love interest of the Vigilante, Kickass. Eventually the two broke up and began leading separate lives. She was targeted by The Motherfucker for her connection to Kickass. She was gravely injured and had to be hospitalized. Later, once she was released, she decided to join The Fallen and Hit Girl, in their battle against The Motherfucker.

**Skills:**

Strength: Low

Speed: Average

Agility: Above Average

Endurance: Average

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member

**Criminal Connection: ** None

**Other info:** Former love interest of group leader... both seem to have moved on. Little to no, romantic feelings remain.

**Threat Level:** MINIMAL

* * *

**Name: **Marcus Williams

**Alias: **The Iron Lawman

**Age: **36

**Sex: **M

**Appearance:** African American, Tall, Above Average Build, Black goatee, Bald, Dark Brown Eyes.

**Costume: **Full swat tactical gear, Black sheriffs duster, black hat, and black facemask.

**Bio:** Marcus is a former member of the NYPD. He was a close personal friend of Damon Macready, aka Big Daddy. He is also Mindy Macready's legal guardian. Marcus is a stern but compassionate man, with a firm moral compass. Many group members look up to him, given his experience and long history of service. He voluntarily joined the group to participate in the prison incident, and later remained on the team.

**Skills:**

Strength: High

Speed: Above Average

Agility: Above Average

Endurance: Above Average

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member, Lieutenant

**Criminal Connection: **Worked as a cop. All information shows that he has refused to participate in any of the crooked and underhanded schemes that infest the NYPD.

**Other info:** Legal Guardian of Hit Girl. Former partner of Damon Macready.

**Threat Level:** Average

* * *

**Name:** Donald Shroder

**Alias:** Doctor Gravity

**Age:** 27

**Sex: **M

**Appearance: **African American, Average Height, Average Build, Buzz cut black hair, Dark brown eyes.

**Costume: **Full body red and white suit, with a white atom symbol on the front. Full facemaske, with built in goggles, Kevlar vest, and Elbow pads.

**Bio:** Not much is known about Donald, other than he has a connection to the NYPD. Donald was inspired to become a hero after the events at the D'Amico penthouse, a few years ago. He is generally laid back and has a strong moral compass. He was also a former member of Justice Forever. He decided to rejoin his former comrades after the prison incident.

**Skills:**

Strength: High

Speed: Average

Agility: Average

Endurance: Average

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member

**Criminal Connection: **None

**Other info:** Donald, acts very much like a grounding agent for several members of the group. He is also deeply admired for his previous service in Justice Forever.

**Threat Level:** Average

* * *

**Name: **Duncan Young

**Alias:** Bullseye

**Age:** 35

**Sex: **M

**Appearance: ** Caucasian, British Descent, Tall, Above Average Build, Short Dirty Blonde Hair, Full Stubble, small blue eyes.

**Costume: **All black Mercenary outfit with a combat vest. Black balaclava mask, with a skull painted on it, tactical glasses.

**Bio:** A former member of the British SAS ... _File redacted..._

**Skills:**

Strength: High

Speed: High

Agility: High

Endurance: High

Intelligence: High

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member, Lieutenant, Sniper

**Criminal Connection: **None

**Other info:** Former member of British SAS, INTERPOL has not yet had any luck retrieving his file from our friends in MI6. Possible operational liaison and political assassin for MI6, operate under extreme caution. Group members are not aware of his connection to SAS... they believe he was simply a soldier in her majesties army.

**Threat Level:** VERY HIGH

* * *

**Name: **Dominic Martinez

**Alias: **El Drogas

**Age:** 27

**Sex: **M

**Appearance:** Latino, Average Height, Average Build, Short Brown Hair, Clean Shaven, Dark Green Eyes.

**Costume: **Dark blue Mercenary outfit, with black combat vest, Dark blue and black face paint with a black bandanna.

**Bio:** Former DEA agent. Was fired for inadvertently causing the escape of criminal leader. Has shown exceptional skill in counter intelligence. Not much else is known about him. He spent most of his career undercover, so his file is sealed

**Skills:**

Strength: High

Speed: Above Average

Agility: Above Average

Endurance: Above Average

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member, Point-man

**Criminal Connection: **served as an undercover operative for several years. Was fired for being compromised.

**Other info:** Should be weary of this members reliance on his own feelings, in past missions they have been known to get in the way of the ultimate goal.

**Threat Level:** ABOVE AVERAGE.

* * *

**Name: **Ace Walker

**Alias:** Ace

**Age:** 22

**Sex: **M

**Appearance: **Caucasian, Average Height, Average Build, Dark Red Hair, Clean shaven, Hazel Eyes.

**Costume: **Dressed almost exactly like Spiderman Noir.

**Bio:** Ace grew up being influenced by his father who worked for Frank D'Amico. Eventually Ace's father was put to death by the orders of Frank D'Amico. Ace became a street thug, and remained that way until he one day, decided to change his criminal ways. Ace is quite and laid back at first, but once you get to know him, he becomes open and fun loving. He is very protective of his team mates.

**Skills:**

Strength: High

Speed: Average

Agility: Average

Endurance: High

Intelligence: Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member

**Criminal Connection: **Was a street thug before he joined the group. Is wanted for several crimes such as burglary and assault. His record has been expunged.

**Other info:** Use to be a criminal, though has decided to change his ways. He doesn't seem to have any lingering feelings about returning to his life of crime.

**Threat Level:** Average

* * *

**Name:** Miranda Swedlow

**Alias:** Night Bitch

**Age: **21

**Sex: **F

**Appearance: **Caucasian, Average Height, Average Build, Dark Orange Hair, Green eyes.

**Costume:** Black face-mask and goggles, a Kevlar vest over an exposing vest jacket. Along with black leather pants.

**Bio:** Miranda joined up with the original Justice Forever after her sister was murdered. She is a kind and sassy individual who served as a prominent member of the original group. She rejoined the new team after their first few patrols. Miranda is exceedingly loyal to the team, especially one of it's leader, with whom she had a prior sexual relationship with.

**Skills:**

Strength: Average

Speed: Average

Agility: High

Endurance: Above Average

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member

**Criminal Connection: **None

**Other info:** Former love interest of one of the group leaders. Had previously suffered personal attack by The Motherfucker, Doesn't seem to hold any vengeful thoughts.

**Threat Level:** AVERAGE

* * *

**Name:** Jaina Ryan

**Alias: **Shadowcat

**Age: **21

**Sex:** F

**Appearance:** Asian American, Short, Small Build, Short black spiky hair, Brown eyes

**Costume: **Dressed like Cat-woman but without the goggles, and without the high-heeled boots

**Bio:** Jaina was your average street rat, she grew up without parents and survived off of things she stole, mostly from criminals. Jaina is fun loving, and enjoyable to be around. She has been described on numerous occasions, as being a kleptomaniac... Information gathered from her past, supports this accusation.

**Skills:**

Strength: Low

Speed: High

Agility: Very High

Endurance: Average

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member, Spy, Thief

**Criminal Connection: **Is wanted in connection to several, stolen valuables from the homes of known mobsters. Her criminal record has been expunged.

**Other info:** A skilled thief... do not leave personal items, or items of a sensitive nature, in the open.

**Threat Level:** AVERAGE

* * *

**Name: **Lisa Nahal

**Alias:** Agent Death

**Age: **26

**Sex:** F

**Appearance: **Middle eastern descent, Average Height, Average Build, Medium length black hair, Brown eyes

**Costume: **Black pants and combat boots, A black leather jacket, with a red shirt underneath, as well as Military night vision goggles.

**Bio:** Lisa is an ex Mossad Officer. ...File redacted...

**Skills:**

Strength: Above Average

Speed: High

Agility: High

Endurance: Above Average

Intelligence: High

Mental state: Stable, Guilt laden.

**Group role: **Member

**Criminal Connection: **None

**Other info:** File has been redacted by request of our friends in the Israeli defense department. We have been informed that she is in fact AWOL, and they have asked us to keep an eye on her.

**Threat Level:** HIGH

* * *

**Name: **Crystal Conner

**Alias:** Major Babe

**Age: **25

**Sex: **F

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Average Height, Above Average Build, Dark Hair with blonde streaks, Green eyes.

**Costume: **Dark green soldier get-up, face is painted black and green to look like a demon. Also wears a black wig.

**Bio:** Former U.S. army ranger. She was in charge of training the rangers in hand to hand combat. She was discharged when the war officially ended. She arrived back in the states to find that her sister and parents were both murdered. Foul play was involved, and the criminals got off, without any punishment. Soon after, all of the criminals and the corrupt judge that oversaw their trials, turned up dead. Crystal Conner vanished off from the face of the earth after this incident. She reappeared a few months later to join the team.

**Skills:**

Strength: High

Speed: Very High

Agility: High

Endurance: High

Intelligence: Average

Mental state: Unstable, prone to violent outbursts, if provoked.

**Group role:** Member, Hand to hand trainer.

**Criminal Connection: **Wanted for the murder of several men, and a judge. Her connection to these criminals has been dis-proven by the FBI so the police have moved on to other suspects.

**Other info:** A very skilled hand to hand fighter. She serves as one of the groups trainers. Her skills in Martial arts are impressive.

**Threat Level:** VERY HIGH (DRAGON LEVEL: HAND TO HAND)

* * *

**Name: **Andrew Michaels

**Alias: **The Bloody Executioner

**Age: **28

**Sex:** M

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Tall, Large Build, Short Dark Brown Hair, Dark brown Eyes. Many scars on his body, missing a right hand pinky finger.

**Costume: **Standard Riot gear that is painted crimson red on the armor, with black for the cloth. Has on a black executioners hood, with a helmet underneath.

**Bio:** Andrew is a former mercenary, turned hit-man, turned hero. He is a violent, psychopathic individual, with skewed morals at best. He has been known to carry out exceptionally high risk missions alone, and complete them to one hundred percent perfection, though an immense amount of collateral damage usually follows. With all this being said, Andrew is known for being one of the most loyal, and subservient personalities, we have ever come across. He yearns for leadership and if he finds it within this group, then he will serve as an immense ally.

**Skills:**

Strength: Very High

Speed: Low

Agility: Low

Endurance: Extreme

Intelligence: Below Average

Mental state: Unstable. Psychopathic. High level of paranoia

**Group role:** Member. Attack dog. Tank.

**Criminal Connection: **Has carried out numerous missions and hits for both legitimate and criminal factions.

**Other info:** Andrew is prone to obsessing over things, and he is proven to be extremely dangerous. Operate with caution

**Threat Level:** VERY HIGH (DRAGON LEVEL: ENDURANCE)

* * *

**Name: **Eileigh Marr

**Alias:** Archer

**Age:** 15

**Sex:** F

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Average height, Below Average Build, Shoulder length Blonde Hair, Green eyes.

**Costume: **A more feminine version of what Hawkeye wore in the Avengers, with black balaclava, and a leather jacket.

**Bio:** Eileigh is a young girl who goes to the same school as Hit Girl. Her father was killed by Mother Russia, when The Motherfucker attacked the home of Night Bitch. This young girl is an Olympic level archer. She has won several state competitions and came in second at a national competition last year.

**Skills:**

Strength: Average

Speed: High

Agility: High

Endurance: Low

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member

**Criminal Connection: ** None

**Other info:** Highly skilled archer, appears to be developing a close relationship with group leader, Mindy Macready.

**Threat Level:** Average

* * *

**Name: **Natasha Dragunov

**Alias:** Cyber Girl

**Age:** 19

**Sex:** F

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Russian descent, Average Height, Below Average Build, Dark red shoulder length hair, Blue eyes.

**Costume:** Dressed like Cat-woman, except it's dark blue not black. With high-heeled boots.

**Bio:** Her parents died in a car accident when she was 13, ever since then, her older brother has taken care of her. She moved around with him a lot, and eventually they immigrated to the states. She was a college student, who was getting a degree in computer science. She is a very proficient and skilled hacker.

**Skills:**

Strength: Low

Speed: Average

Agility: Average

Endurance: Average

Intelligence: Very High

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member, Hacker, Tech specialist.

**Criminal Connection: **None

**Other info:** Her lover Elena Cessaile, is currently recuperating in the units headquarters. This allows for possible manipulation, if required.

**Threat Level:** LOW (VERY SKILLED HACKER, IN TERMS OF HER HACKING ABILITIES SHE IS LISTED AS A HIGH THREAT)

* * *

**Name:** Andrei Dragunov

**Alias:** Mad Man

**Age:** 27

**Sex:** M

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Russian Descent, Very Tall, Large Build, Clean shaven, Short Black Hair, Black eyes.

**Costume: **Like Deadpool except Grey, with a black and Grey Kevlar vest.

**Bio: **Former member of Russian Spetsnaz ..._File redacted..._

**Skills:**

Strength: Very High

Speed: High

Agility: High

Endurance: Very High

Intelligence: Very High

Mental state: Unstable.

**Group role:** Member, Mechanic, Lieutenant.

**Criminal Connection: **None, has unknown past. Connection with Mother Russia, evident

**Other info:** Former member of Spetsnaz, His file has yet to be obtained from the Russian government, but our friends within the KGB have extended a warning: BE CAREFUL.

**Threat Level:** EXTREME (BOTTOM TIER DRAGON LEVEL COMBATANT)

* * *

**Name: **Peter Callahan

**Alias:** The Zombie Warrior

**Age:** 29

**Sex: **M

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Average Height, Average Built, Clean shaven, short brown hair, green eyes

**Costume: **Full black spandex suit with green armor and green iron zombie mask, a black trench coat.

**Bio:** Grew up as a huge fan of monster movies, met his wife on the set of World War Z. The two fell in love and quickly married. Two of their friends were murdered by the Cunts, so the two took up arms as the Zombie fighting couple. They were quickly recruited by the Unit.

**Skills:**

Strength: Above Average

Speed: Average

Agility: Average

Endurance: Average

Intelligence: Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member, possible make-up artist

**Criminal Connection: **None

**Other info:** Worked as a make-up artist and has the ability to assist the group in disguising themselves.

**Threat Level:** AVERAGE

* * *

**Name:** Barbara Callahan

**Alias:** The Zombie Huntress

**Age:** 27

**Sex:** F

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Average Height, Below Average Built, Short wavy brown hair, Deep blue eyes.

**Costume: **Black spandex suit, with green armor and a green iron zombie mask, a leather jacket.

**Bio: ***See Peter Callahan*

**Skills:**

Strength: Below Average

Speed: Above Average

Agility: Average

Endurance: Average

Intelligence: Average

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member, possible make-up artist

**Criminal Connection: **None

**Other info:** Worked as a make-up artist and has the ability to assist in disguising themselves.

**Threat Level:** AVERAGE

* * *

**Name: **Aiko Fugiwara

**Alias:** Shroud Shadow

**Age:** 24

**Sex:** F

**Appearance:** Asian, Average Height, Average Build, Long black hair with blue streaks in it, brown eyes

**Costume:** Mix between Stephanie Browns costume as Bat-girl, and Selenes costume from Underworld, also has a hood to hide her face.

**Bio:** Aiko is the daughter of Nawako Fugiwara, the leader of the Japanese Yakuza. She was sent here to disrupt the unit and take it apart from the inside. So far she has been successful. Agent Harper has decided it prudent to allow her involvement for the time being and only to intervene if she proves to be of no use to the Unit or her actions in any way affect the well being of the teams leaders.

**Skills:**

Strength: Average

Speed: Very High

Agility: Very High

Endurance: High

Intelligence: Very High

Mental state: Stable

**Group role:** Member.

**Criminal Connection: **She is an infiltrator. The higher ups believe that one day she could be of use... they have chosen to allow for her to continue to disrupt the Unit.

**Other info:** Agent Harper has disallowed any action to be taken against Aiko, unless her actions directly affect the health of the groups leaders, Dave Lisewski or Mindy Macready. The groups leaders will be allowed to carry out any action they see fit, upon discovery of her involvement. No action is to be given to assist the unit in this endeavor and no agent it to pay Aiko any unneeded attention. Once again, under no circumstances is anyone allowed to compromise Aiko's infiltration into the group, without authorization from someone with Delta level security clearance or higher.

**Threat Level:** VERY HIGH

* * *

**Name:** Mindy Macready

**Alias:** Hit Girl

**Age:** 15

**Sex:** F

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Below Average Height, Average Build, Medium length blonde hair, Green Eyes.

**Costume: **All purple leather body suit. Plaid skirt, black boots, black knee pads, shoulder pads and elbow pads. Black face-mask with purple wig, purple cape, bullet proof vest under suit.

**Bio:** Mindy Macready began her training at a young age. She was trained by her father who was obsessed with taking down Frank D'Amico. Her skills in combat are immense, and she is one of the most deadly members of the group. She is one of the leaders of the Unit. She is also one of the founders of the hero movement.

**Skills:**

Strength: High

Speed: Very High

Agility: Very High

Endurance: Very High

Intelligence: Very High

Mental state: Stable, prone to violent out bursts, lack of empathy for the people she kills.

**Group role:** Founder, Trainer, 2nd in command.

**Criminal Connection: **Is wanted by the government in connection to countless brutal murders. Her criminal records have been sealed, and shall remain as such, until it can be determined, whether or not she could adequately, integrate into society.

**Other info:** One of the founders of the group. She serves as the groups trainer. Has displayed an incredible amount of skills, and has shown to be an affective killer. The Agency is requesting regular status updates on her, high possibility of her being brought into The Agency after the war against Cain reaches its conclusion. Is in a relationship with Dave Lisewski.

**Threat Level:** EXTREME (subject has displayed incredible skills, and should be treated with the utmost of caution.)

_***side note***:_ In regards to miss Macready, we have been approached by General Hyu Lee Song. He has expressed interest in integrating Mindy into the DRAGON program. Analysts are still scouring the data, but there is a high probability of survival and successful integration into the program.

* * *

**Name:** Dave Lisewski

**Alias:** Kickass _Redacted, _The Fallen

**Age:** 18

**Sex:** M

**Appearance:** Caucasian, Tall, Large Build, Short curly brown hair, clean shaven, Green eyes

**Costume:** Black combat boots, Black pants, black long sleeve shirt, black Gloves and a Black combat vest, Large black trench coat, along with a black steel face-mask, wears a hood.

**Bio:** Originally a no name kid, he decided to take up arms and become the vigilante Kickass, After his fathers murder he took up the new persona of The Fallen. He is one of the original members of Justice Forever, and he is the leader of the new Unit. Dave's determination and zeal are unrivaled when it come to the elimination of The Motherfucker. His hatred for the man is so intense that it can only be described as jarring when he enter into an enraged state.

**Skills:**

Strength: High

Speed: High

Agility: Above Average

Endurance: Extreme

Intelligence: Above Average

Mental state: Unstable, displayed symptoms of PTSD, frequent nightmares, possible multi-personalities disorder

**Group role:** Founder,Leader,

**Criminal Connection:** Wanted in connection to the Vigilante actions of Kickass

**Other info:** Is in a relationship with Mindy Macready, acts as the Units leader, has shown impressive leadership abilities, and is currently uncontested. His fragile psyche is something to be weary of, the man is easily set off, and has already proven that he is a danger to himself and others. Suffered damage to his nervous system, cutting his ability to feel pain.

**Threat Level:** VERY HIGH (IF EVER SUFFERING A PSYCOTIC BREAK HIS THREAT LEVEL INCREASES TO EXTREME)

* * *

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Is there anything else you require, agent Samuel?**

NO

**Shall I log you out then?**

YES

**Very Well. Logging you out!**

"Are you ready to go and meet the team?" Harper asked as he entered into the office room, where Samuel sat in front of a computer.

Samuel looked over his shoulder at him for a moment before standing and looking at him. "Yes! I am ready!"

_Okay so someone asked me to write a small chapter detailing info about all of the character, I didn't add in their weapons because I usually describe what weapons their using in scene. This chapter takes play right before Justice Forever is officially introduced to Samuel. Anyway I hope this helps anyone who is confused and if you found any inaccuracies please let me know so that I can change them._


	26. Chapter 25

_Moving on too the next chapter. Keep those reviews coming and let me know what you think... I'm going to get this chapter out before I pass up my other, Three year old story, in views. I want to thank you guys for that, it really means a lot to me. Like I said before I have officially started my job so, my updating schedule has been thrown out of control. I'm going to try and get this chapter up before Battlefield 4 comes out, because I'm sure that will end up dominating my life... anyway let's begin._

_**Fall of a Hero, Rise of a Legend.**_

Chapter 25

"Bark!" "Bark!" "Bark!"

"Dave! Eisenhower, found something!" Dominic shouted across the bombed out F.O.B.

It had been three weeks since Cain's arrival, three weeks since the city was brought to it's knees.

Dave, Marty, Crystal, and Ace made their way to where Dominic and a barking Eisenhower, stood.

"I think theirs something under this tent." Dominic remarked as the group examined a large collapsed army tent.

"You don't think they left someone behind, do you?" Marty asked, breathlessly. They had been out all day, and Marty was on the edge of exhaustion.

"If they had, the person would be long dead by now." Crystal stated dryly.

"Never hurts to hope." Ace declared as Dave knelt down and began pulling up the tent tarp.

The others assisted him in moving it as they finally got a look at what Eisenhower was barking at. They found the corpse of a soldier who had died earlier in the week. A lot of the skin had burned off.

"Jesus." Marty whined as he looked away.

"Take his tags, and let's get going." Crystal stated as she scanned the ruined surroundings.

"Shouldn't we take him with us?" Ace asked.

Dave just quietly grabbed the mans tags and pulled them off before standing and walking past Ace.

"Right..." Ace stated quietly.

"We still have another few hours of darkness, let's keep going." Dave ordered as Eisenhower took up position at his side.

The small group continued in silence, searching for survivors, weapons and anything else that might have survived the attack on the F.O.B.

It had been a full week since The Order of Carnage, ruthlessly destroyed the F.O.B. Cain and his army took up position on top of the buildings that overlooked the F.O.B. and rained missiles down on it, like meteors. Cain armed his troops with a shit load of RPGs, he then ordered them to fire hundreds down into the base, in grand total they probably fired about six hundred rockets into the base. After the opening attack, about two hundred cunts and legionaries charged into the base and slaughtered the disoriented soldiers.

It was a massacre, Cain timed his attack perfectly. The soldiers operated on a schedule, while certain soldiers were finishing with their patrols, others were waking up, eating their first meal, and gearing up. Cain attacked at the perfect time, to catch the soldiers at their most vulnerable. There was four thousand soldiers operating out of that base, about a third of them were in the city, at the time of the attack, while the rest were about to switch shifts. All in all Cain killed approximately six hundred soldiers.

Dave had taken it upon himself to search for survivors in the F.O.B. They had searched through it's broken remains, about six times, after the army abandoned it and retreated to outside the city limits. A lot was left behind when the army abandoned the base. Most of the place was ransacked by Cain and his men, they took most of the weapons, and any vehicles or ammo. Dave and the others had managed to find a survivor of two, the first time they searched, but since then they had only found remains.

"Dave, man... I think we should head back." Dominic stated as they wandered through more broken tents.

"You guys can head back if you want, we've still got some time left..." Dave replied.

"Come on, man... We've been through this place, time and time again. Theirs nothing left..." Marty stated, wearily.

"Yeah... let's get you home... I think Mindy is missing you right about now." Ace said as he placed a comforting hand of Dave's shoulder.

Dave stood in place for a few seconds before his shoulders sagged and he sighed.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered across the broken base.

The group quietly made their way back to their headquarters. They moved around on foot to avoid drawing attention. None of them could avoid the eerie feeling, that they felt, whenever they traveled through the city. The streets were abandoned, everyone was hiding in their homes... the police traveled in convoys of four or five cars... the military traveled in large armored convoys. But other than that... the city was at a stand still. Strangely enough, no crime was being committed, there was no one to commit the crimes... all of the criminals had either joined up with Cain or they were massacred by them.

The first thing that Cain did after he entered the city was hack the news stations, in the middle of an address by the mayor... he declared that the city was under new management... and that any criminals, were to either join Cain's organization or be put to death. That was his first address, and surprisingly, it wasn't that threatening. What happened afterward though... that was frightening.

He and his men started catching criminals, and then they publicly crucified them! That sent all of the criminals running. Most either ran or did the smart thing and joined Cain's organization.

Some of those men were still there... they were all dead... but still, their naked bodies were horrifically strung up, rotting and decaying.

A lot had happened since Cain's arrival... a lot!

The small group finally made their way to the headquarters. They approached the door, and knocked three times before entering the code to open the door. They opened the door and walked in, there sitting behind a wall of sandbags set up in the hallway, was Peter and Todd.

"You guys are back!" Peter said happily.

"We didn't find much..." Dave stated sadly, as he hopped over the sandbags and started to walk down the hallway.

"How is Mindy doing?" Dave asked Todd as he followed after Dave.

"She is good... she's up and moving around... and she's pretty much back to her old self." Todd said happily.

"Good..." Dave replied with a little enthusiasm.

In the three weeks since Cain's arrival, Justice Forever had upgraded it's security... They had set up sandbags in the entrance hallway, and had repositioned the furniture in the living room... they had also put Kevlar plates in the furniture, so that it was bulletproof.

They had done a lot of other stuff... like booby trapping a lot of doors in the building and setting up sandbags defenses in the armory and the garage.

"Where's Mindy?" Dave asked as he and Todd entered the living room.

"She should be in your room... Marcus made her settle down and rest." Todd explained.

Dave let out a weary laugh as he made his way to his room. He arrived a few moments later and stepped inside. There on his bed, Mindy laid on her side, when she heard him enter, she quickly sat up and looked over at him, a happy smile on her face.

"You're back!" She said happily.

"How are you doing?" Dave asked compassionately as he sat next to her.

"I'm fine... I'm doing a lot better today." Mindy replied as he pulled off his face-mask.

"I heard you were up and walking around today?" Dave said with a tired smile as he let his jacket fall off of him.

"Yeah... I feel like a lot of my strength is returning... I think I should be back up and on the streets in no time." Mindy boasted...as she pulled him into a kiss.

"Yeah well... you're going to have to wait until doctor Cessaile... says that you're alright." Dave said with a smirk. Natasha's Girlfriend Elena, was finally out of her bed, and she immediately took up a role as the base's nurse. She had been going to school to become a doctor, and she was just as enthusiastic as Natasha was. So the team happily accepted her. She wasn't a combative member and she didn't have a costume but that didn't stop the team from treating her like a glorified hero.

"Oh, come on! Elena's great, but she didn't even make it half-way through medical school... I know what my body can take... I'm fine!" Mindy declared. "SEE!"

Mindy pulled the blanked aside and made a move to stand. Dave watched as she struggled to her feet and hobbled over to the wall. Once she reached it, she promptly turned around and prepared to walk back.

Dave watched sadly as she hobbled back to him... a part of him really wanted to hold out his arms and call for her to walk into them... but he knew she would interpret that action, as him mocking her.

It took a full minute for Mindy to reach the wall and return... even though the wall was only about five feet from the bed.

Mindy reached the bed and slowly lowered herself down onto it. She sat next to Dave, trying to hide the fact that she was in, an incredible amount of pain.

"Let me see..." Dave ordered, after a moment.

"Come on Dave... not again..." Mindy whined in a weary and embarrassed tone.

"Let me see." Dave said again, this time with a great deal more compassion.

Mindy stared at him for a few moments... hoping that he would relent first... but in the end... she lost all of her will to fight, and gave up. Mindy let out a sigh, and laid on her back.

Dave quietly leaned over her, and pulled her pants off. Mindy let out an embarrassed sigh, as Dave inspected her wound. She was forced to wear really thin clothes, so that they didn't irritate her skin, that meant that she couldn't wear any panties either. That meant that Mindy was left naked from the waste down. She let out another embarrassed sigh, as she thought about her nakedness.

Dave carefully inspected Mindy's wound, he did so as gently, as he could.

She had a long gash that ran from the inside of her right thigh, to her right hip. He examined the stitches that held her wound closed. This gash was exceptionally painful for Mindy... do to it's size.

Dave gently took her thigh in his hand, being extremely careful not to irritate her wound. Even being as gentle as he could, Mindy still grimaced in pain.

Dave moved he leg slightly so that he could look along the full length of the wound. Dave glanced up, at Mindy's face, she was slightly red with embarrassment.

"You have no reason to be embarrassed." Dave declared as he returned to examining her wound. "It's not like theirs anything down here that I haven't seen before."

"Yeah well... it must be a mess down there." Mindy replied.

Dave knew what she meant, she hadn't been capable of bathing, ever since she got the wound... Dave had to bathe her, usually giving her a sponge bath was the best they could manage. Not to mention she was incapable of... keeping herself tidy...

It embarrassed the hell out of Mindy that she was bed-ridden. The fact that she couldn't take care of herself made it that much more difficult to deal with. She couldn't get up to go to the bathroom, she couldn't bathe, she couldn't shave, or get changed. There was so much she couldn't do now, and it pissed her off.

She hated when Dave looked at her wounds... not only was it a testament to her failure, but because of where it was located... Dave would almost always have a perfect view of her sensitive area, which had gone unattended. It was embarrassing, Mindy had always kept herself groomed... especially down there... and now she was unable to keep herself attended. What really sucked was that she was unable to lean down to shave her legs, or her pussy. The only person she could ask for help was either Dave or Elena. She barely knew Elena... and when it came down to it, Elena may have been a woman... but she was also a lesbian, so the whole thing was awkward, and when it came to Dave... well... there was no way in hell that she was going to ask Dave to help her shave... she didn't care how long the two had been together, or how much they had explored each others bodies, there were some things you just didn't ask your boyfriend to do for you... and this was one of them.

"This is going to be one horrible scar..." Dave stated, as he looked up at her.

Mindy stared back down at him, she looked at the long jagged wound on her leg... it was going to be the most noticeable out of all the wounds she had ever had.

"Let me look at the other one..." Dave said in a low voice as he crawled up her body. Mindy watched as he climbed on top of her, resting on one of his hands, while the rest of his weight was resting on knees, one of which, he had place directly between her legs.

"Dave... my pants... you..." Mindy started but stopped when he started to slide her shirt up her body. Mindy stared at him as he lifted her shirt further up and pulled it off her body.

Dave threw her shirt off to the side, and leaned close to the small inch and a half wide, stab wound located on her right shoulder. This wound looked a lot better then her other one, though when it was made, it was just as life threatening, and even now, it still pained Mindy to move her right arm.

Both of her wounds had caused damage to her arteries... Mindy was insanely lucky to have survived the ordeal. Dave pulled back and looked at her... her face was beat red.

"Dave... I can't..." Mindy started to say.

"I know... I wasn't planning on anything like that... it's just been so long since I've held you like this." Dave replied as he pulled off his shirt and laid on his side next to her. He quickly pulled the covers back and the pulled them over her. Mindy laid on her back, while Dave laid on his side next to her.

Dave pulled her as close to him as he could manage without causing her pain, and after a moment, Mindy caught the hint and began to settle down, after a moment he rested a hand on the center of her chest, it took Mindy a moment to realize that he was feeling for her heartbeat, Mindy smiled weakly as she began to let sleep take hold of her.

"I love you..." She heard Dave whisper to her.

"I love you too..." Mindy replied as he snuggled up next her.

The two just sat and enjoyed the fleeting moment they had. Mindy's embarrassment quickly faded as Dave snuggled up to her.

Mindy could hear Dave's breathing, and the comforting feeling of being in his embrace, quickly drove her to slumber.

* * *

-Later-

Mindy dove out from behind cover, raised her weapon and aimed it at the cackling bitch, she quickly leveled the gun at her head... Mindy was ready to end this wretched woman. Right as Mindy was about to pull the trigger, The Bloodbath Queen laughed triumphantly, suddenly Cain appeared from the shadows behind her, in his hand was an enormous saw blade.

In one fluid motion he sent it flying through the air, right towards Mindy.

The saw blade slammed into her leg, the blade itself was big, and it embedded itself in her thigh. Mindy cried out in pain as she fell to her knees. She looked up just in time to see Cain, as he drove his sword into her shoulder.

"It is time for you to meet god, little warrior!" Cain whispered, his eyes cold and menacing.

Mindy whined in pain as blood poured from her body. She had never been in this much pain, she stared up at The Nightmare, as his dark eyes bore into her, and then... she woke up.

Mindy just opened her eyes... she was pouring sweat and it was obvious that she had been having a nightmare, but still... she had never just woken up like that. She literally just opened her eyes. She was staring up at the ceiling, barely aware of Dave's breath on her neck, he was still snuggled up to her from earlier that night.

She looked over at the clock, 5:30 in the morning. Mindy just laid there... moving was hard enough without Dave hanging on her, so she was forced to just lay there.

Mindy felt a tingle pass through her body as Dave shifted in his sleep, one of his hands was on her hip, (the one that wasn't hurt) and as he shifted it came to rest on the center of her pelvis.

Mindy cracked an annoyed smile as she reached under the covers to move his hand. Sadly there would be no sex for her, for a while. So she had to do everything in her power to stop her body from demanding it, and boy was that a challenge.

Mindy kind of regretted how used to sleeping naked, she had become, it's not like she'd ever stop Dave from undressing her, especially if it were bed time, but in her condition, she couldn't have sex, and yet even though she knew she couldn't, her body was still anxious to get some.

She set his hand on her stomach, and then intertwined his fingers with hers.

Mindy let out a long sigh as she looked over at her sleeping lover. "Soon, I'll be all better, then I'm going to really enjoy fucking the shit outta you." She said to him with a sassy smile.

"Horny little girl." Dave muttered.

"Are you awake?" Mindy asked with a grin.

"No." Dave replied, keeping his eye closed.

"Good... cuz you need your rest." Mindy stated, in a formal and professional manner.

"Yes, boss!" Dave replied, with a smile.

"Hey! You awake in here!" Came Miranda's voice as the door flung open.

Mindy groaned and hid under the covers as Dave sat up.

"Samuel is back." Miranda informed him.

"Thanks. Can you close the door, I need to help Mindy get dressed?" Dave asked as he stood, and walked over to her dresser.

"Can do." Miranda replied as she closed the door.

"I gotta go to work." Dave said as Mindy threw off the covers and waited, as usual, for someone to help her put her clothes on.

Dave quickly helped her get dressed, and then proceeded to help her sit up.

"Do you need anything?" Dave asked, his eyes full of love and compassion

"Take me with you." Mindy pleaded with sad eyes.

Dave let out a sigh before smiling and, helping her stand. He supported her as the two walked out of the room, and into the kitchen, where Samuel, Marcus, Miranda, Andrew, and Duncan, were waiting.

"Look who's back on her feet." Miranda said with a smile.

Dave walked her over to the couch and helped her get situated, as the group members moved their conversation into the living room.

"What information do you have? were you able to gather anything useful?" Dave asked Samuel.

Mindy eyed Samuel carefully, even after all that had happened, she still didn't trust him... Dave told her about him helping to save her from Cain, but Mindy didn't believe it. She thought that Dave was just trying to stop her from picking fights with the guy.

The first thing Samuel did, after he freaked out was apologize to Dave, and Marcus, and Andrei. Then he apologized to the whole group. Mindy thought that he was faking his whole sincere apology, but in the end, she was the only one who seemed the think like that.

"I found her..." Samuel stated after a second. "Cain and his men are holding her, waiting for her father to arrive from overseas to retrieve her, personally."

"So you know where they're holding her?" Dave asked after a moment.

"Yes..." Samuel stated. "But... once again I have to reiterate my earlier objection to risking our lives to rescue that woman. She was a spy and an infiltrator and she nearly got your lover killed."

"I know! You don't have to remind me! Look... yes, she did lead us into a trap... but she got us out..." Dave retorted in an aggressive voice.

"She was simply seizing the moment. You and the rest of your team, were about to escape, she had to make a move!" Samuel argued.

"Look... she is the one who told me where Mindy was... she told me how to find her, and what to expect when I got there. She held off The Order of Carnage. Alone! If it wasn't for her... Mindy would have died..." Dave responded, with a great deal of passion.

"You realize, she didn't do it for you?" Samuel asked, his voice cold and distant.

"Yeah! I Know! She did it for Ace... She wanted to protect him... she wanted to do something that would make her life worth a damn in his eyes..." Dave replied with a shake of his head.

"Then why risk your life? Why not let the fool risk his own life, to rescue that woman?" Samuel asked.

"You haven't ever been in love Samuel... I wouldn't expect you to understand what something like this means..." Dave stated giving Samuel a look.

"I still don't understand the logic behind this plan..." Samuel finally relented, once he realized that his words were wasted.

"We're are going to pull Aiko out of the fire... and if, in the process... we manage to kill her father... well then, that will just be a bonus!" Dave said, as a smirk appeared on his face.

Samuel stared at him for a moment, before smiling. He finally understood, why Dave was going to risk all of their lives in this attack.

"You going to need any air support on this mission, doc?" Came a bugs bunny sounding voice.

Dave looked over as Jon Marco wandered into the room. Jon was one of the newest members of the group. He joined a day after Eisenhower, he was around five foot eleven, he was on the thinner side, but he was muscular. He had brown hair and brown eyes, this guy was brought into the group by Andrew, the two of them were close friends and surprisingly, Jon was even crazier then Andrew, at least Andrew was able to hold a straightforward thought for more than fifty seconds... Jon was all over the radar... he liked to channel certain characters... like right now, he was channeling bugs bunny.

Jon was a pilot for the British SAS, though he was declared insane and he was discharged. The guy was an insane pilot... he was as good as Murdock from the A-Team... and just as crazy. The guy served as Justice Forever's chef when they didn't need him for flying, he was an amazing cook. The guy brought with him his own helicopter, it was a Little Bird, that he called 'The ex wife'.

The guy had flown them around during one of their missions, and he was the one that was able to get Dave, Samuel, Andrei, and Andrew, to Mindy in order to save her in time... so they all learned quickly that he was useful to have around. He was descent fighter, being a member of the SAS, but because he was a pilot, he mostly stuck to the skies.

Dave just smiled and looked at Samuel for a reply to Jon's question.

"We'll have to go over it... but a possible aerial extraction, could be useful." Samuel stated after a moment of thought.

"Go get the others." Dave told Andrew as he walked over to help Mindy up off the couch. "Bring everyone to the armory!"

Dave helped Mindy to her feet and the group members all started to make their ways to the armory.

"Come on girl." Mindy called back to Eisenhower who had been sleeping at the front door. The dog shot to her feet, and quickly ran to Mindy's side.

Mindy loved the shit out of Eisenhower, and spent about an hour laughing her ass off, when Dave showed her, Eisenhower's signature dick biting move. Ever since Mindy's injuries, Dave always felt guilty when he had to take Eisenhower out with him, she had basically become one of the few things that Mindy could enjoy. Mindy would spend all hours of the day with that dog, and Dave found it just plain adorable.

Hell, it took Eisenhower only about three days to feel comfortable in the headquarters, and on the third day... Dave walked in to his room to find Mindy and Eisenhower, both cuddled up on the bed. So Dave did the kind and sweet thing, and let them sleep, though he did take a few picture to show to the others, they all found the whole thing so fucking adorable. Needless to say Mindy walked around the headquarters blushing all day.

The rest of Justice Forever, all filtered into the headquarters, Dave looked around at all of them, as they waited in anticipation for him to begin.

Dave looked at each member before settling on Ace... "We found her..."

Ace adopted a smirk, and most of the other members, shared looks amongst each other. They had been waiting for this, for over two weeks now.

"We've got a friend to rescue... no one get's left behind! It's time we get work..." Dave stated as he motioned for Samuel to begin his explanation.

Mindy couldn't help but feel, as Samuel stepped forward, that things around the headquarters were about to get interesting.

_Okay so I made this chapter short... I plan on doing another soon... let me know what you think... and I will let you guys know exactly what happened to Mindy in one of the upcoming chapters... I'm planing on doing this thing where I advance the story, and through flashbacks I fill in what happened, with Mindy and Aiko. I was thinking of making this like it's own condensed story... so the next few chapter will be focused around it... let me know what you think of that idea, and go ahead and pm me if you wanna talk. __Also thanks to everyone for more awesome OC's I just want you to know that I plan on adding them... I just need to find the right time, so hang in there!_


	27. Chapter 26

_Okay so... moving on to the next chapter... I read a few reviews and I have to ask... why does everyone think that something happened to Katie... just because I didn't mention her by name, doesn't mean she died or anything... I went back and checked, I don't think, at any time did I say that something had happened to Katie... if I did, someone please let me know, so I can go back and fix it... anyway, on to the next chapter. The beginning of this chapter is going to be a recollection of the events that occurred to Mindy... I will tell, Aiko's story in the next chapter._

_**Rise of a Hero, Fall of a Legend.**_

Chapter 26

-Fifteen days prior-

"So... do we have any questions?" Dave asked as he finished laying out the plan.

"No questions?" Dave asked again as he looked at the group.

"Let's go get that bastard!" Mindy declared after a few moments.

Most of the group members smiled in anticipation. Harper has just delivered a tip that a large group of Cain's forces were gathering in a warehouse on the opposite side of the city. The group had finished collecting Intel on the building layout, and had just finished setting up the plan.

"Um, guys... we may have a problem." Todd stated to the group.

They all turned to look at him, he was staring at the TV that sat in the armory. On it was Helen Wolf, aka, the Bloodbath Queen. The bitch immediately began to preach about how The Order of Carnage, was there to bring stability to the city, and that the people have nothing to fear.

"Yeah, nothing to fear... tell that to the poor bastards you strung up in the city, you bitch." Mindy retorted to the TV.

"Language..." Marcus sighed...

Mindy just let out an annoyed huff. After a moment she was suddenly struck with inspiration. "Hey Natasha. Do you think that you could find where this signal is being broadcast?"

"Um, yeah, I should be able to figure it out." Natasha replied with a nod, after a moment of thought.

"Wait! You're not thinking of going after her!" Dave stated after he realized what she was planning.

"Yeah, I am. I just need one or two people, and I know I can take that bitch out!" Mindy declared, sounding incredibly sure of herself.

"Mindy... we have other plans, we can't just put them on hold, so you can go get rid of Helen Wolf." Dave stated in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Don't get angry at me... someone has to do it. Besides, taking her out would be a major blow against Cain and his army. She won't be expecting an attack, and she wont have nearly as many guards. This could be our only chance to start taking out Cain's lieutenants." Mindy explained.

"What about our plans? We need you with us!" Dave declared.

"You've got Samuel... you don't need me... besides I'll be able to do more good for the city, if I take that bitch out, then I would, just slaughtering Cain's men in some warehouse." Mindy countered.

Dave stared at her for a second, after a moment he couldn't find the words to convince her to change her mind, so he relented. "Who do you want with you?"

"Send Eileigh and Donald with me." Mindy suggested.

Dave thought for a few moments before letting out a sigh, and nodding his head in approval.

"Sweet! Alright, Natasha, work your magic!" Mindy cheered happily. It had been a long time since she had run an operation herself. Usually it was Dave running the show, and Mindy was kind of feeling a little useless. This would be just the boost she needed to feel like her old self.

* * *

-Later-

Mindy buried her head in the pillows, as a loud moan escaped her lips. Her body spasm-ed in ecstasy, as she felt Dave's warm seed fill her insides.

"That felt fucking great!" Mindy stated breathlessly.

"Dido" Dave replied as he laid next to her. Mindy remained as she was for a few moments, on her hands and knees, she had her head buried in some pillows.

After a moment, Mindy let her body collapse onto the bed, she breathlessly turned her head to look at her lover. Dave had a gentle look about him, he almost seemed like he was somewhere else. After a second his eyes focused on her and he smiled.

"So... what do you wanna talk about?" Mindy asked after a moment of silence.

Mindy and Dave, didn't really do much in the way of, talking, whenever the had sex. Usually the longest sentence one could get out of the other, was when they were going to cum, other then that, they stuck to simple compliments between each other. Most of the time, they didn't talk very much after sex either, they just sort of fell asleep in each others arms.

"I don't know..." Dave replied with a thoughtful look.

"How long after we kill Cain and Chris, are we gonna wait to have a baby?" Mindy asked suddenly. Dave stared at her for a moment, her question had taken him by surprise.

"I don't know. Are you eager to have a baby?" Dave asked in reply.

"Fuck yeah! I think it would be awesome! I mean the whole pregnancy thing is going to suck, but other than that, I think it would be so cool to have a family of our very own." Mindy proclaimed with a big smile.

"I tell you what... the day we get married, you can stop taking birth control, and we'll just see what happens." Dave stated after a moment of thought.

"Oh... how awesome would it be, if we conceived on the night of our wedding?" Mindy asked with an amused smile on her face.

"It would probably be scarring for our child, you never want to know when your parents are having sex, and knowing that every time they celebrate their anniversary their also, repeating the act that brought you into this world! I think that might be a little horrifying." Dave said with a chuckle.

Mindy just laughed in reply as Dave started to caress her cheek.

"What's with all the baby talk all of a sudden?" He asked with a warm smile.

"Well... I was really kind of dreading it, cuz I heard that you couldn't have sex until the baby was born, but then I read somewhere that if you keep it gentle, you can have sex. Now that I know that, I have literally no reason not to have a kid, once this is all said and done!" Mindy replied with a witty smile. Dave just rolled his eyes at her childish response, he didn't know for sure, but he thought that Mindy really hadn't put a great deal of thought into what it meant to have a child. She just wanted a kid, she probably hadn't thought of what being a mother, truly entailed.

"Why in the hell, does having sex while you're pregnant, remind me of 'Piranha 3DD'?" Dave asked as a horrified look crossed his face.

"I don't think I ever saw that movie..." Mindy stated.

"A guy get's his dick bitten by a piranha that was living in this chicks vagina." Dave explained.

"Gross!" Mindy giggled. "You actually watched a movie like that?"

"Todd, Marty, and I, decided to make a night of it. All the cringing we did, gave us awesome six packs!" Dave laughed in reply.

"Wow..." Mindy said with a shake of her head.

"I love you..." Dave declared after a moment.

Mindy looked at him, he had this look about him, something that spoke of a deep rooted fear, something was worrying him, but Mindy couldn't tell what it was, maybe he was just nervous about tomorrow.

After a moment, Mindy felt something overtake her, as she reached out and pulled his head to her chest. Mindy wrapped both of her hands around his head, as she held his head to her heart.

"I love you so much Dave," Mindy whispered after a moment.

The two lay like that for a long time, Mindy gently caressed Dave's hair, as she listened to his breathing. Dave sat silently, listening to Mindy's heartbeat... It was as strong as the girl, herself.

After a moment, Dave rolled onto his back taking Mindy with him, she let out a happy yelp, as he held her in his arms. Mindy rested her arms on his chest and then rested her chin on her arms, she then locked eyes with her lover, who was smiling at her, with the warmest, smile she had ever seen.

"Hey, Mindy?" Dave stated as he closed his eyes.

"What?" Mindy replied with a gentle smile, as she too, closed her eyes.

"When we do have a kid, if it's a boy... I want to name him Damon..." Dave said with a serene look on his face.

Mindy opened her eyes and stared at Dave, she looked at him for a long time... finally, she slid her arms under his shoulders, and rested her head on his chest. "Thank you...so much..." Mindy whispered.

"Do you hear that Daddy?" Mindy thought to herself... as an image of her dad passed through her head. He was smiling, and happy. It was at this moment, when Mindy reached serenity, she had never before felt this kind of peace, this kind of safety. She had never been this sure of her future... she knew, as she lay there, that one day she would have that child, and her and Dave would raise it, and the they would name him Damon... Mindy felt her heart flutter, as the thought of naming a son after her daddy, crossed her mind.

"I promise Daddy... I'll make this city safe. I promise that I will spend the rest of my life, living each day, to the fullest, and I promise... I will live a full and happy life, and when the time comes, Dave and I will go to heaven to be with you and mommy." A stray tear fell from Mindy's eye, as she made the promise, to her father, and to herself.

* * *

-The following Day-

Dave and Mindy stood before each other, in the armory, as they prepared to go their separate ways.

"You be careful." Dave stated.

"Dido." Mindy said with a smile as she turned to depart.

Mindy found Eileigh and Donald, waiting in the garage.

"You guys ready to go?" Mindy asked.

"Let's do this!" Donald said with a clap of his hands.

Eileigh nodded in response to Mindy's question.

Mindy's team traveled, in Dave's car... they made their way to the thirty story office building that The Bloodbath Queen, had sent her earlier message.

They planned on sneaking up to the twenty-fifth floor, where the broadcast came from, and murdering that crazy bitch.

Everything went smoothly at first... the elevator didn't work for some reason so they had to take the stairs... they didn't encounter anyone as they sneaked further and further up the building. The tension built, at first, each step they took, they did so, with as much care as they could muster, trying their hardest to not alert anyone to their presence. Eventually they began to think that the building was empty, and they started to move faster. They stopped at each floor, and Mindy pressed an ear to the door, to listen for any signs of life, in the end their was nothing. It took them about an hour to make it up the stairs.

It was at the twenty-fourth floor that they ran into a snag... there was a lot of crap, barricading the stairwell, preventing them from ascending any higher.

They all took a deep breath as they gathered around the doorway that lead onto the twenty-fourth, floor.

The all stayed crouched as they snuck into the first room. The top seven floors of this building, were still being built, so there was a shitload of crap they could use to hide behind.

It was a moment before Mindy saw the first legionnaire, he was standing off to the side smoking a cigarette... Mindy quickly snuck up behind him and slit his throat... she caught him as he fell, and quickly nudged his body behind some stacks of drywall, so that he wouldn't be noticed.

Mindy's group continued on... there was probably thirty legionnaires on this floor. They were all standing about or patrolling. Mindy and the others, had an easy time sneaking by because of all the loose crap lying around. They tried to take out any that were separated from the rest, but that wasn't a lot. All in all, they probably killed six or seven guys.

Eventually they entered a large room, with two men standing guard in front of a door. Mindy guessed that the door led to a stairwell, which led higher up the building.

"How are we going to get past them...? Theirs no way we can kill them without alerting the rest of the guys on this floor." Eileigh stated in a barely audible whisper.

"I know..." Mindy growled under her breath... what had served as their advantage was now, what held them back... because of the construction, they were able to get this far, but a lot of walls were missing, and you could see almost to the opposite side of the building, at certain spots. They couldn't take these guys out without drawing attention.

"I have an idea..." Donald whispered after a moment, of silence.

"I'm all ears..." Mindy said with a shrug.

"Me and Archer sneak over there, while you get as close as you can without being spotted... then Archer will take them out with her bow, and you sneak in... Me and Archer stay behind and watch your back... When the guys come to investigate we draw their attention, buying you time to find Wolf, and kill her." Donald explained.

Mindy thought it over for a minute... she looked from Donald to Eileigh, neither of them offered up any objection to this plan.

"Fuck it! You two be careful!" Mindy ordered as she snuck forward.

She got about ten feet away from the two guys... and hid behind a stack of drywall. After a moment, she heard a sharp thwack sound, as one of the men fell to the floor, with an arrow in the head. The other looked over just in time to receive an arrow to his head, as well.

Mindy quickly made her move... she charged forward and quickly opened the door, and began to charge up the stairs. She quietly opened the door to the twenty-fifth floor, and began to creep forward... this floor was much more built, then the one below...

Mindy spent the next three minutes sneaking down hallways, and avoiding patrols... It was a few moments before a large group of about fifteen legionnaires marched past and headed for the stairs.

"They must have found Eileigh and Donald. I have to hurry!" Mindy thought to herself as she crept forward.

Another minute went by before she began to hear, a woman's voice. She crept further down the hallway, that the sound was coming from. The hallway led to a set of rooms, that sat on the exterior of the building. As she got closer, she recognized the woman's voice, it was Helen Wolf.

Mindy got to an open door, she heard Helen inside, making another address to the people of New York. "Perfect... everyone is gonna see me end you, bitch!" Mindy thought as she snuck into the room.

She saw Helen, standing in front of a camera, the room she had chosen was one with a sweeping view of New York... there was nothing but a lot of glass windows too her right.

Helen was dressed in a costume that looked like Selene's outfit from Underworld, though it had Dark red patches on it. She also had on a samurai mask, like Cain's, it was accompanied by her flowing crimson hair.

Mindy ignored whatever Helen was saying and just focused on sneaking a little bit closer. Mindy managed to hide behind a couch that was sitting in the room, as she knelt behind it, a smile crept onto her face. She grabbed one of her guns, and flipped the safety off.

Mindy exhaled slowly, before stepping out from behind cover, and aiming her gun at Helen's head.

Helen let out a triumphant laugh, as she saw Mindy. Just as Mindy was about to pull the trigger, a figure emerged from the darkness.

It was Cain. In his hand was a large, saw blade, in one fluid motion, he let it fly at Mindy.

The saw blade, lodged itself in her leg... it tore right through her pant leg, and embedded itself in her flesh. Mindy screamed out in pain, and fell to her knee's as a hand shot to the saw blade. Her eyes glanced down, she saw the blade sticking out of her upper thigh, it was bleeding profusely. Mindy heard a floor board creak, she looked up right in time to see Cain. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Mindy looked down at her shoulder, her eyes widened in horror as she his katana, impaled through her shoulder.

The only thing that was keeping Mindy up was Cain's sword. She realized after a moment, that she couldn't feel anything, below the saw blade. Her leg was mostly numb. She glanced up from the stab wound, to look at The Nightmare as he towered over her.

"It is time for you to meet god, little warrior." He whispered, his eyes, were cold and menacing.

Helen, appeared by his side with the camera... she was about to film Mindy's death.

Mindy felt, the life leave her, as he withdrew his swords... she was in so much pain... tears were streaming down her face, but she wouldn't scream... she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Mindy continued to lock eyes with Cain as he placed his sword at her neck.

The previous night, flashed into Mindy's mind as Cain brought his blade back, and prepared to decapitate her. In the end, all Mindy could feel was sorrow, sorrow and shame. She was sad that she wouldn't be able to ever tell Dave just how much she truly loved him or be able to do all the things she promised her dad, that she would do... she felt shame, at how easily she had fallen for this trap.

They had all thought that, the warehouse, where Dave and the rest of the team had gone to... was going to be a trap... it never even crossed her mind that this was a trap.

"CAIN!" Helen shouted, as a bullet tore into the room, shattering one of the windows.

Cain looked over at a familiar Little Bird, helicopter, hovering as close to the windows as it could manage. Mindy glanced over just in time to see, Andrei, and Samuel, take Dave's arms and help throw him forward as he jumped out of the helicopter. Dave landed with a roll, he was on his feet in a moment, as Cain's men filtered into the room. Cain and Helen, ran to the safety of the legionnaires shields as Andrew began spraying rounds into the room. He had a M249 'SAW' and he was spraying fire into the room. The legionnaires were clustered together, trying to create a solid wall of protection.

Samuel followed after Dave, as he jumped the gap, with Andrei's help. Samuel, landed with a roll, and was quickly by Dave's side.

Dave and Samuel ran to where Mindy, sat on her knees. Samuel was firing at the legionnaires with his rifle, but they were deflecting the shots with their shields. By now Cain and Helen were safely behind their men, who were backing out of the room.

Cain and Samuel shared a glare, as Cain and his men retreated from the room, all the while, Andrew continued to spray bullets at them.

"Samuel!" Dave shouted to him.

Samuel didn't change his look, he continued to glare at Cain, holding the glare until Cain vanished out the door.

"SAMUEL! What do I do!" Dave shouted again as he leaned Mindy back. By now she, had lost all ability to compose herself, Cain was gone, and so was her reason for keeping a brave face. She wailed in pain... she had never hurt like this before... it was excruciating.

"Should I remove it?" Dave asked as he reached for the saw blade.

"No! Leave it! It's the only thing that is stopping her from bleeding to death." Samuel, stated as he reached into one of pockets and pulled out a packet. He tore it open, and poured it's contents onto Mindy's shoulder wound. It was some kind of clotting powder... it slowed the bleeding slightly.

All the while, Andrew kept shooting into the walls, he was trying his best to keep forcing Cain's men to retreat.

"She needs a hospital... otherwise she will die!" Samuel stated, as he looked at Dave. He quickly pulled out a shot, which had morphine in it, and injected it into Mindy's leg.

"Hold on Mindy! We're gonna get you outta here!" Dave cried as he picked her up. Mindy cried out in pain, as he he lifted her off the ground, blood was pouring out of her wounds, as Dave picked her up, Mindy's hands shot to her shoulder wound, she tried her best to apply pressure to it, though it didn't make much of a difference, the blade had gone all the way through her shoulder and it was bleeding from both sides. Dave cradled her in his arms, as he and Samuel made a run for the door. Samuel went through it first to make sure that there were no legionnaires hiding behind the wall...

The two sprinted down the hall, Samuel leading the way, keeping a sharp eye out for Cain. The two made it to the stairwell door, right as shots began to ring out behind them. They turned just in time to see Cain and his legionnaire's marching towards them, the legionnaires at the front held up their shields while the ones at the rear had guns. They fired at Dave and Samuel, as they rounded the corner, and began running up the stairs.

They charged up the stairs as fast as they could, it was a moment before the stairwell flooded with the sound of combat boots, as legionnaires flooded in to give chase. Occasionally Samuel would lean over the railing and fire down the stairwell, but other then that they continued at a steady pace.

They quickly got to the roof, where the little bird was waiting for them.

"Come on!" Andrew shouted to them, as they sprinted towards the helicopter. His eyes were glued to the door, to the roof, he was watching for any sign of movement, to begin spraying lead.

Samuel, helped Dave and Mindy into the tight space of the helicopter, and took up position next to Andrew. The two started to fire at legionnaires as they began to pour out of the stairwell. They managed to kill a few, but eventually, there was too many shields, and not enough openings.

"Jon, take off!" Andrew shouted as the pilot, sprung into action. He drifted the helicopter over the edge of the building and let it begin to descend rapidly. They dropped to about one hundred feet, as he took them low between buildings, stopping Cain's men from having a clear shot.

"She doesn't look to good!" Jon shouted.

"Take us to the nearest hospital!" Dave ordered as he cradled Mindy in his arms. She was extremely pale, and she was having a hard time staying awake.

"You stay with me!" Dave, growled as he looked down at her, she was staring up at him with sad, and tired eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dave... I got cocky..." Mindy said with a sad smile.

"Was Natasha, able to get a hold of Donald and Eileigh?" Samuel asked to Andrei.

"Yes... the two of them got out of the building about ten minutes ago... they're on foot right now... the others will pick them up, and I'll have Natasha, tell them to meet us at the hospital." Andrei, answered.

"Come on! Stay awake!" They heard Dave, shout to Mindy, as her eyes began to close, she had lost a lot of blood.

"Mindy! Mindy! Talk to me!" Dave shouted to her.

"To tired! I can't really feel much right now... I'm really sleepy..." Mindy replied, her voice was weak, and her body had gone limp.

"You need to stay awake!" Samuel ordered, as he moved next to them, and began inspecting Mindy's wounds, trying his best to find a way to keep her alive.

"How long?" Dave shouted to Jon.

"Sixty seconds!" Jon replied with a serious look, this was one of the only times he had ever been serious, since he joined the team.

"Mindy, talk to me about something!" Dave tried again, as he returned to looking at her, she was incredibly pale.

"Like what?" Mindy asked in reply, her eyes were barely open.

"I don't care, anything! … … … What are we going to name our child if it's a girl?" Dave finally asked.

Mindy just stared at him for a second... Dave couldn't tell if she was thinking about an answer, or if she had checked out.

"Mindy!" He asked when she didn't respond.

"I don't know..." Mindy finally said. "...I can't think of anything."

"Look... just... talk to me about something else... what do you want our wedding to be like?" Dave asked.

Mindy stared at him as she thought for a moment... everything seemed to be moving so slowly... it's like she couldn't focus...

"I... want it to be pretty... but not all girly and lame... I want it to be fun..." She answered... it was getting harder and harder to stay awake.

Mindy felt the helicopter land, she glanced over to see that they were on the roof of one of the hospitals. Mindy suddenly shot awake, as Dave picked her back up and got out of the helicopter. She felt a sharp pain shoot through her body... it was so strong, that she couldn't hold back, a cry of pain.

Surprisingly, there was a few doctors, and nurses waiting on the roof for them. This hospital had a helipad for emergencies, but still... it's not like the hospital staff were telepathic, they shouldn't have been this prepared for them, unless they were tipped off.

They had a stretcher prepared for her, some of the doctors looked surprised to see that Hit Girl, was the person they would be saving.

One of the doctors, ran forward to help Dave.

"What are her injuries?" He asked.

"Well..."Samuel motioned at the saw blade still embedded in her leg. "...she also has a stab wound on her right shoulder."

Dave set Mindy on the gurney, as she let out another cry of pain. The doctors began strapping her down, as the first doctor began giving orders to the others, and they started to wheel her towards the elevator.

"Whats her blood type?" One of the doctors asked.

"AB negative" Dave replied. The doctor looked at him for a moment.

"That's great!" One of the doctors said as they filed into the elevator.

"What's her name?" Another asked.

"Mindy..." Dave answered, as he pulled his mask off.

"Alright... Mindy... I'm doctor, Thamburg. We're going to help you." The doctor said.

"Cool..." Mindy whined in reply.

"She's lost a lot of blood..." One of the doctors commented.

The elevator came to a stop and the hospital staff, rushed Mindy towards one of the surgery rooms.

Dave and the others watched as they wheeled her away, it was a moment before Harper materialized next to them.

"I called ahead... made sure that the hospital staff, were ready." Harper stated.

Dave didn't even bother asking, how Harper was able to react so quickly. He knew that the man had been watching every move they made.

Dave, Harper, Andrew, Samuel, Andrei, and Jon, all stood in the waiting room... about twenty-five minutes went by before the rest of Justice Forever arrived.

Marcus walked right up to Dave, when he didn't see Mindy.

"She's in surgery..." Dave stated, meekly.

Marcus, pulled off his hat, and ran his hand over his head. "How bad?" He asked after a moment.

"Bad..." Dave replied as he sat.

Dave looked up and noticed Donald, and Eileigh. "Are you two alright?" He asked.

"Yeah... Natasha, called and told us to get out of there, you're warning came just in time... we barely made it out..." Eileigh replied. The two were covered in cuts and bruises, but otherwise they had managed to escape relatively unscathed.

Dave sat in silence as the minutes rolled by. It was about another twenty minutes before a doctor walked out of the emergency wing.

All of the heroes turned to look at him. "How is she?" Marcus asked, in a worried tone.

"It was touch and go, there for a while... it was very close... another minute or two, and she would most certainly be dead. We managed to stabilize her, she's in critical right now. The stab, wound nicked an artery, and the Saw blade, caused massive trauma to another artery. We repaired the damage... it will be a few months, but with a little luck, and a lot of physical therapy, she should be fine." The doctor explained.

"So she's going to be alright?" Marcus asked.

"Yes... she sleeping right now... and we're going to need to keep her here for a few days, to make sure that, that saw blade, didn't get her wound infected, but otherwise she should be fine. She's very lucky, that she is a universal recipient, when it comes to blood." The doctor said with a smile.

The members of Justice Forever, released their collectively, held breath. Mindy was going to be alright.

Marty looked around at the others, as they all smiled at one another, or hugged each other. He glanced over at Dave who was staring at the floor, he watched as Dave slowly, put his face-mask on.

"Dave..." Marty stated.

Dave rose to his feet and started to walk towards Harper.

Dave stopped when he was in front of him. Harper stared at him curiously, wandering what he wanted.

"What?" He asked when Dave didn't say anything.

"You knew?" Dave growled menacingly.

"Knew wha..." Harper tried to say, but Dave cut him off with a sudden right cross to the face.

Harper fell to the ground, his eyes wide, he did not expect that. Samuel broke from the crowd and appeared at Harper's side.

"You knew that Aiko was a spy! You knew she would betray us, and you didn't say a word!" Dave growled as he knelt down and grabbed Harper by his shirt and pulled him to his feet. Samuel was about to make a move to stop Dave, but Harper raised his hand to tell him not too.

"Yes... we knew that Aiko was a spy..." Harper stated, he had a small amount of blood on his lip.

"You knew that we were walking into a trap?" Dave accused.

"Yes..." Harper replied.

"You knew that Mindy was walking into a trap?" Dave accused in a dark and menacing voice.

"Yes." Harper answered. As the word left his mouth, Dave's hand shot to his machete, he quickly brought it up to Harper's throat. As before Samuel tensed to grab Dave's arm, but again Harper stopped him.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dave shouted.

"If you weren't smart enough to figure it out on your own, then what good are you to us? We need strong, capable, people, not children in need of hand holding. If you were, too blind to see Aiko for the spy that she was, then you're of no use to us!" Harper growled.

"Give me exactly, one good reason, why I shouldn't spill your blood, and have Andrew blast Samuel's, brains out!" Samuel, glanced over his shoulder and saw, Andrew standing behind him, with one of his sawn-off shotguns pointed at Samuel's back.

"What did you think was going to happen? Did you think we would employ you, to save a city for us, and everything would be how it is in the superhero movies... you'd save the day and get medals and be big damn heroes? That isn't how it works! We need people who can contribute... if you can't keep this group safe... if you're unable to keep the wolves out, then why should I help at all? This isn't a fucking game... where if you screw up, you can just hit the reset button, and try again. This is real life, and if you fuck up, people die. I chose not to say anything, about Aiko, because you were either going to learn from her betrayal or die... either way... you would have proved your worth... Grow up, the time for games is over." Harper stated, his eyes narrow and focused.

Dave stared at him for a second before pressing his blade, hard onto Harper's throat. A small trickle of blood began to trail down his neck, as Dave's blade barely cut the skin.

"Where is Cain?!" Dave asked, his eyes alight with fury.

"I don't know."

"BULLSHIT! You watch everything, we do. You hear everything, we say. You know everything we plan... don't think for a second you can trick me into thinking that you weren't watching Mindy when she crept into that building. Don't think I don't know that you watched, as we escaped off the roof, and don't even try to pretend like you didn't wait around to see where Cain headed off to after we left! Tell me where he is!" Dave growled.

"Why?" Harper asked, his voice was cold, and uncaring.

"I'm going to show you and the rest of this city, just what kind of game this is!" Dave hissed.

Harper stared at him for a second before letting out a sigh. "He's down at hanger seventeen. That's where Chris and the cunts have set up shop... he's there to oversee the cunts, as they clear out the hanger, and move to another location."

Dave released him and turned to leave.

"Dave..." Katie began, but stopped when Dave pointed his machete at her.

He looked right at her, and simply shook his head, showing her that there was no way, that she could convince him not to go.

Dave lowered the blade and started to walk down the hall.

"He's a dead man." Samuel stated as he watched Dave walk away.

Most of Justice Forever stared after him, a few moment went by before, Andrew, and Jon followed after him. They were quickly joined by Duncan, Crystal, Lisa, and Andrei.

"Brother!" Natasha stated as her brother began to follow after Dave.

"The time for justice has ended, Natasha. It is time for blood... and vengeance." Andrei stated darkly, as he followed after them.

The rest of the group just stared after, them. Most were unable to bring themselves, to participate, in what was either going to be a brutal slaughtering of their friends, or a bloody massacre of Cain's men.

* * *

-Eight hours later-

"It that thing dead?" Helen asked as she and Mother Russia stood examining the shark that sat at the bottom of the large tank in the center of the hangar.

"I think so..." Mother Russia replied with a nod.

"It's not dead... it's just sleeping..." Chris shouted over to them... as he ordered his men about.

"It's dead." Mother Russia affirmed as she turned to walk away.

"Chris... gather you lieutenants, we have some matters to discuss..." Cain shouted as he stood at the entrance of a hallway that connected the hanger to a large administration building.

Chris and his lieutenants, along with Helen, marched over to Cain... just as they reached him they all heard what sounded like a loud engine running.

"What is that?" Chris asked as he looked around the room.

Suddenly a large tanker truck barreled through the hangar doors. It slammed violently, into the shark tank, and the scaffolding around it, the truck continued through all of the crap in the room and slammed into a support at the back wall.

"What the fuck!" Helen shouted as Cain and the rest of them looked at the tanker truck.

Cain glanced over at the hole in the hangar door. Standing at the entrance was Dave.

"Look who's here..." Cain commented.

Chris looked over right in time to see the little bird descend just behind Dave.

Cain noticed the helicopter and his eyes were drawn to Andrei, hanging out of the helicopter with a rocket launcher.

Cain's eyes went wide, as he spun around grabbing both Helen and Chris, and threw them into the hallway. They all heard a loud rushing sound as Andrei fired the rocket into the tanker, which just so happened to be full of gas.

The explosion tore the building in half, a ball of fire consumed half of the hanger, and eighty percent of the cunts, and legionnaires were engulfed in fire. Burning gas spilled out all over the hanger turning it into an inferno.

Cain, Chris, and the rest of the men, all rose to their feet. Cain glanced over at the entrance to the hangar, just in time to see, Dave, Andrei, Duncan, Crystal, Lisa, and Andrew charge in. They all scattered, skirting around the edge of the inferno, killing everyone in their paths.

Out of all the bad guys, only Cain and Mother Russia were able to keep their composure... Chris and most of his lieutenants, stared in fear.

They were paralyzed, the whole place was on fire, and most of the men inside were burning alive.

Cain's eyes focused on Dave who was advancing around the edges of the inferno. He quickly made his way towards them. One of the cunts tried to get to his feet and stop him, but Dave was unstoppable at this point. The cunt took a swing at him with a bat, Dave caught the strike, tore that bat out of the guys hands, and threw it into the inferno. Dave then grabbed the cunt and swung him into the inferno, the man screamed out in agony as he burned alive.

Dave turned and continued to march towards them, he cleared the fire and was approaching them.

"What is the matter, Dave Lizewski? Did that young girl die?" Cain asked as he stood and challenged Dave. He drew his katana, and pointed it at Dave.

Dave drew his swords and broke into a sprint towards Cain. Dave closed the gap, and began swinging with great speed and ferocity. Cain was forced to back peddle as he blocked Dave's strikes.

Cain was surprised, each of Dave's strikes, hit with an insane amount of force. Dave jumped up into the air, and stabbed down towards Cain. Cain parried the strike as Dave returned to the ground, but he struck with so much force, that Cain was forced back a few feet. A hail of sparks accompanied the strike, Cain looked at his sword, there was a small, notch that had been cut into the blade, from where Dave's strike landed.

Dave cocked his arm back, and let one his swords fly at Cain.

Cain blocked the flying blade with his sword, he barely had time to recover, as Dave descended upon him.

Dave had drawn his machete with his now free hand, and had begun tearing into him. Cain had to keep back pedaling, he had never before faced an assault with this much fury. Dave swung wide and Cain ducked his strike, this left Cain an opening and he exploited it.

Cain stabbed out with his katana, the blade cut across the outside of Dave's thigh, though to Cain's surprise, Dave didn't even flinch, Dave kicked Cain in the face with his uninjured leg, causing Cain to fall back a few feet.

Dave lunged at him, but Cain rolled away and shot to his feet. He quickly counter attacked, he charged forward and sliced his blade across Dave's upper right arm, but again he didn't flinch. Dave quickly elbowed Cain in the chest and lashed out at Cain with his sword. Cain jumped back to avoid the slash.

Dave quickly charged forward and slashed at Cain again. Cain brought up his sword to block, and the two entered into a deadlock.

It was now that Cain got a good look into Dave's eyes. What he saw, caused something to pass through his body... he saw nothing but pure fury...

What was it that he felt? Could it be... Fear?

Cain quickly broke the deadlock, forcing Dave's sword out of his hand and into the inferno. Cain quickly brought his sword back, and stabbed it into Dave's shoulder, just as he had done to his lover.

However, unlike her... he didn't register the pain.

Dave's damaged nerves, coupled with being hopped up on adrenaline and pure rage, rendered him basically invulnerable. The intensity of Dave's fury was only rivaled by the inferno that raged behind them.

Dave grabbed the blade's handle, and forced it further through him, he pushed the blade all the way into his shoulder, all the way up to the hilt, Cain's eyes widened as Dave held the sword handle, with his right hand, and punched Cain, square in the face with his left.

Cain's mask shielded him from harm, but the force of the strike forced him back, and also caused him to release his sword.

Cain rolled back about six or seven feet, and then he watched in amazement, as Dave, in one fluid motion, pulled the sword from his body. There was no sign of pain, no cringe, no cry, not even a flutter of his eyes. Dave was incapable of feeling pain, at this point.

Cain's hands shot back and drew two, large machete he kept strapped to his back. He rose to his feet, as Dave approached him.

"What are you?" Cain asked in amazement.

Dave didn't answer, he simply charged forward and resumed his assault. By now the members of Justice Forever, that had come with him, had gathered behind him, and were watching the battle in awe. Helen Wolf, along with Chris, and his lieutenants, did the same, on the opposite side of the fight. As Dave and Cain continued to duel, about a dozen or so legionnaires ran into the burning hanger, through the hallway that connected the hanger to the administration building.

They all stood by Helen's side and watched the fight.

Even with two blades, Cain was still forced on the defensive. Dave struck with such strength and speed that their was no way he could be human... Cain couldn't comprehend what he was fighting.

Cain tried to block one of Dave's strikes but lost one of his machete's in the process. He quickly saw an opening however, and lunged forward with his other machete. He was surprised when Dave caught the blade, with his forearm. Cain stared for a second, the arm the he had used to catch the strike, was the same one that he held his katana in, and now, with a blade embedded between the bones in the center of his arm, Dave wouldn't be able to attack.

Cain, held the illusion of victory for only a second, when suddenly, Dave grabbed Cain's hand with his free arm, and squeezed as hard as he could on his wrist. At the same time Dave jerked right, the combination of momentum, and the crushing of his wrist forced Cain to release the machete.

Dave continued to hold onto Cain's wrist as he spun around and dropped to his knees, he brought Cain's arm over his shoulder and then he suddenly pulled forward with as much force as he could manage.

Cain winced in pain, as Dave used his superior momentum to tear Cain's arm right out of it's socket. Cain quickly kicked Dave in the back, and stumbled backwards, his hand shooting to his shoulder. He could feel the bone sticking out of the skin, Dave and torn in right out of it's socket, and now it hung limply at his sides.

Dave rolled forward, and landed next to Cain's katana, Dave quickly stood while at the same time, pulling the machete out of his forearm.

"Dave!" "Cain!" Duncan, and Helen shouted.

"This building is falling apart! We need to go!" Helen shouted as she rushed to Cain's side.

"No... I must stand and fight!" Cain growled.

"Remember the plan, my love! We can not lose ourselves to petty quarrels!" Helen shouted to him.

Cain looked at her for a second, before turning to look back at Dave. His eyes widened slightly, Dave held the sword at his side, and he was illuminated by the inferno raging behind him. Cain couldn't believe his eyes, he finally got it... he understood why he wanted to keep fighting.

Cain started to back off as his legionnaires took up position around him. They all started to retreat back down the hallway from whence they came.

Cain never broke eye contact with Dave. He watched as Duncan, ran up and grabbed Dave by the arm and started to lead him away. He watched as the hangar began to collapse.

The members of Justice Forever broke into a sprint towards the hole in the hangar doors, they just barely managed to clear the doors in time for the building to collapse.

Cain and the rest of them made it to the administration building, they all stopped to catch their breaths.

"My lord! Are you alright?" One of the legionnaires asked.

"What the fuck happened to him?" Chris asked. "He wasn't that pissed when I killed his dad!"

Cain stood, for a moment before grabbing his shoulder and forcing it painfully back into it's socket. Most of the legionnaires and cunts cringed at the sound, of a bone popping.

Cain stared off for a second, he had a far away look on his face.

"What is it my love?" Helen asked as she stood in front of him.

"It has been eight years, since I've heard the dragon's whisper... today... I felt it's wrath..." Cain stated, breathlessly.

"The dragon's... You mean that boy..." Helen asked as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Call The Skull Collector, tell him to gather the full of my army..." Cain ordered as he walked past Helen.

"What the fuck is he talking about?" Chris asked breathlessly.

"The day has finally come..." Helen stated, in a low voice as she followed after him.

Cain walked over to a window, that looked out over the outside of the hangar, in the distance he could see Dave and the other members of Justice Forever.

Dave stood in place for a few moments... staring at the ruined hangar, before he looked down at Cain's katana, which he was still holding on too.

After a moment he slid the sword into his belt, and turned as their helicopter landed in front of them.

"Thank you... for this..." Cain whispered as he watched him leave.

* * *

-Later-

Marcus looked up from the floor as the elevator door opened and as their bloody and beaten friends returned.

"You're back!" Natasha, shouted happily as she ran forward and hugged her brother.

"Are you okay?" Miranda asked as her, Marty, and Todd all approached.

Duncan, only glanced at Dave in reply.

Samuel, and Harper stood off to the side, both held look's of shock as Dave approached them, they did not expect him to survive.

Dave pulled out Cain's sword, and threw it at their feet. "This is what I'm capable of... If you ever play me again... I'll kill both of you. I don't care who you work for Harper... You tell them, that if I ever catch a whiff of betrayal... I'll kill them all..." Dave stated darkly as he turned and walked over to Marcus.

Samuel knelt down and picked up the sword, he held it in his hand for a few moments before his eyes widened in disbelief.

"We sent him running..." Crystal boasted to her comrades.

"He took this from Cain?" Samuel asked, his eyes still wide.

"Cain stabbed him with it... Dave pulled the sword out of his fucking body, and used it to kick his ass!" Andrew answered.

Upon hearing this, most of the group members turned to look at their leader, as he knelt in front of Marcus. There was something different about him... he wasn't the same man that had left this hospital... he had changed.

"How is she?" Dave asked as he pulled off his mask, and pulled down his hood.

"She..." Marcus began to answer, but stopped when a doctor walked out.

"She's awake... if any of you want to see her." He said.

Dave and Marcus quickly shot to their feet and followed after the doctor. The rest of Justice Forever trailed behind, allowing the duo to see Mindy first.

The doctor led them to one of the rooms, where they found Mindy laying on one of the beds, looking exhausted.

"You go first..." Dave said after a moment. Marcus looked at him for a second as Dave gave him a sad smile, and looked down at his costume... he was covered with blood and smelled of smoke.

Marcus nodded and stepped into the room, as Dave pulled his coat off, and let it fall to the floor.

"Jesus! Dave!" Katie said as she got a good look at all of his bleeding wounds.

"Hey can we get a doctor over here!" Marty shouted down one of the halls.

Dave just looked at the wounds on his body, he was bleeding profusely from the stab wound to his shoulder, as well as the stab wound on his forearm. There was also a trickle of blood coming from, the cuts on his shoulder, and thigh.

"Dave..." Dave heard his name said, he looked over to see Samuel emerge from the crowd.

He held Cain's sword in his hand, he walked right up to Dave, and dropped to his knee, he held the blade on his palms, as he presented it to Dave, almost like an ancient Japanese soldier would present a sword to their daimyo.

"You have done, what I could not... from this day, until that day I surpass him, I swear my life to you." Samuel, stated with his head bowed.

Most of the group members stared on curiously, as Dave took the sword in his hand. "Cain is a man of conviction, a man of belief... I will help you find what it is that you believe in..." Dave stated as he slid the sword back into his belt. He then stuck out a hand for Samuel. Samuel looked up at him for a moment before taking his hand and standing.

"Welcome to Justice Forever..." Dave said as three doctor walked up to him.

"You guys go see her..." He said as they motioned for him to follow them.

"What about you...?" Katie asked.

"I don't want her to see me like this... besides..." He stopped and looked back at Katie and the rest of the team, and smiled "... Theirs nothing I can say to her, that she doesn't already know..."

_._

_._

_._

_And that's it for this chapter... I couldn't stop this fight from playing in my head... I really had fun writing it, and I hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know what you think, and look forward to the next chapter. Luv you guys... until next time!_


	28. Chapter 27

_Okay so on to chapter 27... I want to thank everyone for all of your support... I'm getting into a really intense part of the story, and things are going to start flying by, so your going to have to pay close attention, and ask questions. As always, let me know if you wanna talk... and I'm always free to talk about stories... I really like to read and to write, so let me know if you wanna talk shop, also I have a lot of great ideas, and a lot of people have been helping me out, with content, I wanna thank all of you that have offered OC's and ideas. If anyone wants to talk hit me up... I'm always free, also I have a request if you guys don't mind... I really love all the OC's and I try to add all the one sI'm given, but they are starting to become lost in the pages, and pages of reviews I'm getting, to those who can, I would like to ask you to keep you're reviews, and your OC's separate, please send me your OC's as a pm, with the characters name as the subject, that way I can keep them organized better... otherwise I love all the support, and you guys are really getting me pumped to keep writing, anyway let's begin!_

_**Fall of a Hero, Rise of a Legend.**_

Chapter 27

(Ace's POV)

"... sorry about this guys." Aiko stated in a low voice, as the last member of Justice Forever walked past her into the large cooler room.

Ace, and Lisa were close enough to hear her, and turned back just as Aiko, grabbed the freezer door and shut it behind them.

"What the hell!" Lisa shouted as the rest of the group turned to look at the sudden noise.

Ace rushed back to the door and began pounding on the door. "Shit! This can not be happening!" He growled to himself.

"Aiko! Aiko, open the door!" Ace shouted as he pounded on the door.

Suddenly the group member heard two other doors on the opposite side of the room, swing open. Their eyes widened in horror, as dozens of legionaries poured into the room.

"She set us up!" Andrei shouted to the bewildered group members, as he dropped to a knee and started to take shots at the oncoming legionnaires.

"Son of a bitch!" Dave growled as he braced for the legionaries.

"Aiko!" Ace whispered in disbelief.

"Ace! Come on!" Lisa shouted as she pulled him back from the door.

The legionnaires broke rank, and charged into the stunned heroes.

As the attack commenced the heroes regained their focus and began to fight back. In the tight quarters it was hard to fight back, or be sure who you were taking shots at.

Ace broke out of Lisa's grip and ran back up to the door. "God Dammit, Aiko! Open the god damn door!" He shouted again.

"Ace... she's gone! Get your head in the game!" Lisa shouted to him, as she countered a legionnaire, who had lunged at her with a sword. She caught the sword handle, and quickly twisted it out of his hand, before driving it into his throat.

"Aiko! I know you're out there! I know what it's like, to do shit like this... to be the bad guy... I saw how hard you fought against Chris and his cunts! You didn't expect anyone to have your back like I did that day, but I did... I had your back, and we fought together... I don't know why you're doing this, but I can assure you... it's a stupid fucking reason!" Ace shouted into the door, as the fight raged behind him.

"I know you felt it... felt how good it was to be the good guy for once... I've felt it too. You got a taste of what it was like to be a hero... and you liked it! Be the hero again! Open the door, and save the people who called you a friend!" Ace growled as he stepped away from the door and joined the fray.

The legionaries, hadn't counted on the heroes putting up this much of a fight... the heroes got organized faster then they could have predicted.

Dominic stood knelt next to Duncan, who was shooting legionnaires in the parts of their bodies that weren't blocked by their shields, this included, arm, heads, and feet.

Miranda was pinned to the floor by a legionnaire, who was trying to drive his sword into her heart. Right as he was about to get the upper hand, Peter tackled the guy off of her. Barbara was quickly by his side, and she ruthlessly drove her hatchet into the legionnaires head.

Ace brought up one of his trench knives to block a legionnaires sword, as he blocked the strike, he pulled out his revolver and shot the legionnaire in the gut.

As the legionnaire fell to the floor, Ace heard the cooler door slide open.

He looked over and saw Aiko standing at the doorway, sword in hand. She looked right at Ace, a look of guilt plastered on her face. Her gaze fell to the floor, as she stepped to the side, motioning for the heroes to make their escape.

"Come on!" Ace shouted.

The other heroes glanced over, and saw that the door was open, they all made a break for the door, the ones with guns covered the ones with melee weapons.

The heroes all filtered out of the cooler, as he ran by her, Dave grabbed Aiko and pinned her against a wall, as Duncan, Andrei, and Lisa, all stood at the entrance, they had just run through, and began to fire at the legionaries, who had formed a testudo and were slowly approaching.

"Dave!" Ace shouted as he saw Dave slam Aiko into the wall.

Donald, placed a hand on Ace's shoulder, and shook his head, telling Ace that there was nothing he could do or say.

"Give me one reason!" Dave growled as he placed, one of his swords to her throat.

"You need to leave now... Cain is waiting for Mindy. They're on the twenty-fifth floor, east corner of the building. You need to hurry! I'll hold them off!" Aiko replied with a sad look.

Dave's eyes widened, he stared at her for a moment, before he released her and bolted for the exit to the warehouse. Most of the members of Justice Forever charged after him, a few remained, looking at Aiko.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered as she walked past them and stepped into the cooler.

"No! Aiko!" Ace shouted, as Duncan and Lisa grabbed him and began hauling him away.

Andrei stared after her for only a moment, watching as a few legionnaires broke rank and charged at her. He dropped his gaze and quickly slid the cooler door closed, before turning to follow after the others.

"No! Let go of me!" Ace fought and struggled as they hauled him further and further away from Aiko.

"Ace! She's gone!" Andrei, said in a low voice, as he approached them. He quickly got Ace into a headlock, and assisted the others in dragging him away.

"No she can't be gone. She's tougher than that! Let me go!" He shouted, and struggled.

"I'm sorry... she made her choice..." Andrei said, it what had to be the most compassionate voice he could muster.

"God dammit! You Bitch..." Ace sobbed as he stopped struggling and allowed himself to be man-handled.

* * *

-Later-

Ace sat in the hospital waiting room, he had just finished visiting with Mindy, and was waiting to hear from the doctors who took Dave.

A few other group members sat in waiting room with him. They hadn't bothered to ask what Dave, and the others had went through at the hanger, most didn't want to know, whatever happened, it had changed Dave.

Ace looked up at Samuel, who leaned against one of the walls, his eyes were closed and his head was bowed, Ace couldn't get this guy, he was almost bipolar, he went from uncaring and cold as ice, to a freaking lunatic, and then back to a cold bastard, and now he goes and swears his life to Dave? What the hell was with this guys, whatever the whole sword thing was about, it must have held great meaning to Samuel.

After a few more minutes a doctor walked out. "Dave Lisewski?" He asked.

"Yeah." Ace answered.

"You're friend suffered some major wounds, he damaged one of the arteries in his shoulder, and lost a lot of blood. He's lucky he has such extensive nerve damage, otherwise his body might have gone into shock from the pain. He'll be bed ridden for a few days, but he should be okay to leave, soon." The doctor finished explaining with a smile.

"Is he awake?" Ace asked with a solemn look.

"Yes... but if you could, keep it brief. He needs his rest." The doctor informed him.

"I will..." Ace replied as he stood.

"He's in room 315" The doctor said as he turned to leave.

"Right..." Ace said in a low voice as he went off to Dave's room.

Ace stepped into Dave's room, he had just been through hell, and everyone knew it. None of the group members, could bring themselves to go see Dave, they were afraid, and worried...

Dave looked over at Ace as he entered into the room, Dave was wearing a nightgown, one of his arms was in a sling, and the forearm of the opposite arm, was bandaged up. Dave looked exhausted, but other than that, his face was emotionless.

"Hey, man... how are you doing?" Ace asked with a half grin.

"I've had better days. How's Mindy doing?" Dave asked with a small smile.

"She keeps asking where you are. Todd and Marty have been making up excuses." Ace replied as he pulled up a chair and sat next to Dave.

"Oh really? What's the current consensus?" Dave asked with a chuckle.

"That you're to big of a pussy to see her like that." Ace replied with a laugh.

Dave simply rolled his eyes and laughed again. After a moment he looked over at Ace.

Ace looked up and noticed Dave's eyes on him, he had a look that said 'What do you want?'

"Dave... about Aiko..." Ace began but Dave stopped him.

"Ace... if she hadn't told me about Mindy... she'd be dead... In my eyes... she died a hero..." Dave said with a warm smile.

"I spent so much time with her at the end... I should have seen it... maybe then I could have..." Ace started to say, but once again Dave cut him off.

"Don't do that to yourself... she fooled us all... and yet... in the end, she chose us. She put us in the fire, and then she pulled us right back out... and you know what?" Dave said, with a small smile.

"What?" Ace replied, as he eyed Dave, sadly.

"She did it for you..." Dave stated simply. "In the end, she must of realized, that you were her friend." Dave continued in a compassionate tone of voice.

Ace looked at him, sometimes he forgot who he was dealing with. Dave could be an insanely brutal, and violent fighter one minute, and a compassionate, and caring friend the next.

"I think I loved her..." Ace admitted after a moment.

"I know." Dave replied. Ace looked up at him, Dave held a comforting smile, and yet his eyes showed Ace, that he too, was grieving for Aiko.

"If she were still with us..." Ace began but couldn't find the write words to voice, his statement.

"I don't know if I could ever trust Aiko again... what I do know is that I forgive her for what she did, and that I have nothing but respect for her." Dave stated.

Ace just smiled and nodded his head. He and Dave sat in silence for a few more moments before he finally stood.

"I'm gonna let you get some rest." Ace stated as he left.

"You do that." Dave stated in reply, as Ace left.

Ace stood in the hallway for a few moments, he didn't know why he felt he needed to talk to Dave about this, but something told him that it was the right thing to do. Ace smiled as what Dave had just said, began to repeat in his head. After a moment he started forward.

He walked silently, back to the waiting room, right before he reached it, the memory of his and Aiko's kiss, flashed into his head. He paused, as he felt his eyes begin to water. "Catch you later... Aiko." He said to himself, as the image faded and he walked into the waiting room.

(End Ace's POV)

* * *

-Noon, the next day-

Mindy awoke, as a nurse pulled back the curtains and let the light in. If she wasn't feeling so shity she would have hissed at the woman, for letting in the sunlight.

"How are we doing miss Macready?" The Nurse asked, with a smile.

"What day is it?" Mindy asked as she tried to bring up an arm to shield her eyes. She let out a yelp, as a sharp pain passed through her shoulder, she glanced down, and saw that she was wearing a hospital gown, and just underneath it, she could see that her shoulder was bandaged up.

"Are you okay?" The nurse asked, at Mindy's cry of pain.

"Fuck... I was kind of hoping, that, that ass whooping was just a dream." Mindy whined in reply.

"No such luck." The nurse replied.

After a moment, Mindy noticed that the nurse was staring at her.

"What?" Mindy asked.

"Oh sorry..." The nurse apologized as she realized that she was staring. "...it's just... I've never met anyone famous before."

"Famous...?" Mindy asked, it was was a moment before she realized that she had been brought in, wearing her Hit Girl, costume. "...Oh."

"I'm sorry... I'm just a huge fan." The nurse stated with an embarrassed smile.

"Well, sorry we couldn't meet on better circumstances." Mindy replied after a moment.

The nurse was about to reply, when a doctor walked in, along with Marcus. "How are we doing?"

"I feel like shit!" Mindy whined.

Marcus, just smirked and rolled his eyes at her potty mouth.

"Well... that's to be expected... you lost a lot of blood, and probably have a lot of holes, in your memory, from what occurred..." The doctor explained.

Mindy stared at him, confused for a moment. 'hole in my memory.' Mindy thought to herself as she thought back. She remembered Cain's attack, and... then she remembered, arriving at the hospital. "Crap... I really can't remember..." Mindy stated aloud.

"That's to be expected, you were in shock when you arrived here. The memories should come back to you in time." The doctor affirmed to her.

Mindy let out a huff, before asking. "So, what's the damage doc? How long until I'm back out, and kicking ass?"

"Well that enthusiasm is going to play a large part in your recovery time. You'll need to stay here for a few days, then you can leave... it will be a few weeks before we can take your stitches out, and until we take them out, you're going to need to take it easy. Afterwords you're going to need to undergo physical therapy for your leg, and possibly the arm too. It's going to be a few months at least, but if you take it easy, and work hard on your physical therapy, I can say with confidence that you'll be back up to one hundred percent." The doctor explained.

"Here it comes..." Marcus stated with a smirk.

"Fuck!" Mindy groaned. "A few months... what the fuck am I going to do for a few months?" Mindy whined, more to herself than to anyone in particular.

Marcus just smiled, and looked at the doctor, who gave Mindy an amused look.

"You know she is just how I expected her to be." The doctor stated as he and Marcus turned and walked out the door.

Mindy caught that statement and glared after the two of them. "The fuck does that mean?" She groaned angrily.

The nurse just smiled, and turned to leave.

"Hey! Are my friends here?" Mindy asked, before she could leave.

"Yes. Would you like me to go get them?" The nurse asked with a smile.

"Actually... could you get my boyfriend Dave... he's kind of tall, bushy hair, dorky glasses." Mindy explained.

"All of your friends are still in costume." The nurse stated.

"Oh... okay, then he's the big motherfucker in the trench coat." Mindy stated, tiredly.

"Oh... you mean him... he's in another room. I don't know if he's awake..." The nurse started.

"What!" Mindy interrupted.

"Is he hurt? What happened?" Mindy asked, frantically, as she sat up. Mindy grit her teeth as a sharp pain shot through her shoulder and thigh.

"I don't know..." The nurse stated as she stepped forward, and helped lean Mindy back onto the bed. "... all I know is that he showed up here with you last night, then he left, and when he came back, he was covered in blood, and smelled like smoke."

"Oh shit! How bad?" Mindy asked, her eyes filled with worry.

"I'm sorry, I don't know... I can go check, and see if he's awake." The nurse said as she turned to quickly walk out of the room.

"Thanks..." Mindy called after her.

"No problem." The nurse replied as she exited the room.

Mindy sat there for a few moments, she couldn't escape the feeling of dread in her heart. 'What had happened? What kind of trouble did Dave get himself into? Who the hell did he kill?' all these thoughts ran through her head, as Marcus, Eileigh, Jaina, Miranda, and Katie, walked in.

"Hey there, Mindy how are you doing?" Eileigh asked as they all gathered around her bed.

"What happened to Dave?" Mindy asked.

Most of the them looked around at each other, they all held looks of unease, they were all still in costume, so it was hard for Mindy to gauge some of their reactions.

"He and a few of the others, got really pissed, and they went after Cain." Marcus stated after a moment.

"Shit! What happened?" Mindy asked, she held a look of worry.

"We don't know... none of our friends were hurt..." Katie, started to reply, but stopped as she thought how best to explain.

"But... something happened to Dave. I couldn't tell you what it was... but when he left, he was really pissed... and when he came back, he seemed... different." Jaina, finished Katie's sentence for her.

"Different how?" Mindy asked, she was so full of worry, that it was almost like she wasn't even hurt anymore. When she woke up, everything was so hazy, and she felt so drained, but now that she knew that something had happened to Dave, she was alert, and focused.

"...He just seemed different... like something profound had happened to him." Marcus explained.

A few moments went by before Todd, Marty, Ace, and Andrew walked in, they were followed by the nurse, who was pushing Dave in a wheel chair. He looked tired, just like Mindy.

Mindy's face lit up when she saw him, her eyes quickly began to scan him. He looked exhausted, and he had a few bandages on his body, one of his arms was in a sling, while the other was wrapped up.

The nurse pushed him up next to her, She helped Dave as he got to his feet, and sat next to Mindy, on the side of her bed.

"Hey there, pretty lady." Dave said with a smile.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Mindy asked, with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

I just got into some trouble..." Dave replied, wearily.

"Bullshit, Dave! Tell me what really happened, you asshole!" Mindy growled, she could tell, just like they had said, something seemed different about him. The way that Dave held himself, had changed, he somehow, had this weight about him.

"It's nothing... I just picked a fight with a much bigger asshole." Dave joked in reply.

"Dav..." Mindy began to retort, but was cut off when Dave, leaned in and quickly kissed her.

"Aw." The nurse cooed.

Marcus and the others, looked over at her.

"Sorry..." The nurse said as she dropped her head in embarrassment.

"I'm fine... I've been through worse." Dave stated, with a small smile as he pulled away from the kiss.

Mindy just stared at him, she had a sad look about her, for the first time, she couldn't tell if her was telling the truth, or if he was hiding something.

After a moment, the rest of Justice Forever filed into the room, along with Harper.

"Can you give us a moment, please." Harper stated to the nurse as the team filed in.

"Oh! Sure... just buzz if you need me." She said, as she turned and left the room, Harper closed the door behind her before turning to address the group.

"Aiko is alive." He stated suddenly.

Most of the group members recoiled at his proclamation.

"What?" Ace asked in a low voice.

"How can she still be alive?" Dave asked curiously.

Mindy looked around at the group before locking eyes with Dave. "What happened to Aiko?" she asked.

"She trapped us in a cooler, then decided to let us go." Katie stated dryly.

"She also told me where to find you... if she hadn't, you'd be dead. Not to mention the fact that she stayed behind to by us some time..." Dave stated in a scolding tone.

Katie and a few of the others let out sighs of resignation. It was hard to remember the good things a person did for you, just moments after they betrayed you.

"Shit!" Mindy said with disbelief. "I knew I didn't like her for a reason."

"How do you know she's alive?" Marty asked Harper.

"Aiko is the daughter of the leader of the Yakuza. The Order of Carnage will not kill her. Cain will have his men torture her for a few days, and eventually they'll get around to telling her father, where she is, and he'll probably make a personal trip out here to pick her up. This will be one of the few chances you'll have to strike at the criminal leadership." Harper explained.

"What about Aiko? You said that Cain and his men were going to torture her?" Ace asked, in a worried tone.

"She was has been trained to resist torture... she'll be fine." Harper stated dryly.

The group members sat in silence for a few moments, most were eying Dave to see what he would do, finally he stood up, and looked around at all of them, before beginning.

"I know how you all must feel, it's hard to forgive her for what she's done. I know it's going to take a long time for her to earn our trust. She was a viper, and we didn't even know it. She stood at our back, we thought she was our friend, and yet she betrayed us. She would have left us to die, in that cooler... but something brought her back..." Dave looked at Ace as he reached this part.

"...she let us go, she told us how to save Mindy, she even stayed behind, to buy us a few moments to escape. If she hadn't done what she'd done... Mindy would be dead right now... and so would Donald, and Eileigh. I know that I wont be able to trust her for a long time, and I know that some of you will never forgive her for what she's done, let alone forgive her, but I truly think, that in that final act, she showed us where her true loyalties lie. I believe a part of her, loves the time that she spent with us, and I think... that if she had the choice, she would be here, by our sides. I think she's earned the right, to be given a second chance, even in you never forgive her, even if you never trust her, I think, that we'll never know, how we really feel about her, unless we see her, one more time. Let's give Aiko the chance to show us who she really is. Let's give her the chance to show us, what's beneath the mask." Dave finished, Mindy could tell as she looked at a few of the group members that they were moved by his words.

"You would risk your lives to save that woman?" Samuel asked, with a curious look.

"Yes, we would." Ace stated with a smile.

"How about it Samuel, you swore to me yesterday that you would stand by my side, until you figured out what allowed me to dishonor Cain." Dave stated with a smirk.

Mindy looked at the two of them curiously, she watched as Samuel, smirked in reply before shaking his head. 'did he just agree to go along with Dave's plan?' Mindy thought to herself, 'What the fuck did I miss?'

"If you're with us... then there are two things I need you to do." Dave stated as he walked over to Samuel, Mindy could tell that he was slightly favoring one leg over the other.

"What would those be?" Samuel asked in a professional manner.

Dave simply stuck his hand out, after a second Samuel read his mind, and pulled a sword off his back. Mindy examined the sword as he placed it in Dave's hand, after a moment it clicked, that was Cain's sword.

Dave took the sword from Samuel, he had given it back to him, after Samuel had presented it to him, because he wasn't allowed to take a sword into surgery.

Dave held the sword in his hand for a moment... he muttered quietly under his breath, "The sword that's responsible for six thousand deaths..."

After a moment he held the sword out for Samuel to take back. Samuel looked at him curiously, before taking it back.

"Break it." Dave stated simply.

"What?" Samuel asked.

"Break the sword into two pieces. Shatter his weapon, and we'll take our first step, on the path to shattering his hold over us!" Dave stated with conviction.

Samuel stared at him for a moment, before taking hold of the blade itself, with his free hand. He stared at the sword for a moment, Mindy wondered, if the super ninja would be capable of breaking the Katana in half, another second rolled by before Samuel brought the blade down with his hands, while bringing his knee up. His knee made contact with the exact point between his two hands and, surprisingly, it snapped in half.

Most of the group members recoiled slightly, they were surprised that he could actually do it.

"What do you want me to do with it now?" Samuel asked as he held both halves in his hands.

"Reforge it, Into two blades." Dave responded.

Samuel looked at the two pieces, then looked at Dave, then back to the pieces, then finally back to Dave, he stared at him for a second before smirking.

"I will use his weapon, as my tools of Justice and Vengeance." Dave stated, with a determined look.

"Very well, but if you ask this of me, I will turn them into true swords, not like those commercial, media hyped, pieces of crap you are currently using. I will have this sword reforged into two Wakizashi." Samuel said, keeping him smirk.

"Fine by me." Dave replied as he too started to smirk.

"What was the other thing you wanted me to do?" Samuel asked.

"Find Aiko." Dave stated simply.

Samuel stood there for a second, before nodding. "Very well."

"I will find this woman for you, but know that I am against, risking our lives to rescue her." Samuel stated, as he turned and started to walk out the door.

"Your objection is noted Samuel." Dave said in a calm voice, as Samuel departed.

Dave stood there for a second before looking around at the rest of the group.

"Does anyone have any objections to going after Aiko?" Dave asked, after a moment.

No one said anything, after another moment of silence Dave finally nodded. "Go home you guys... get some rest. See what kind of trouble Eisenhower has gotten herself into, since we've been gone."

"Are you sure?" Marcus asked.

"Get some rest Marcus, we're not going anywhere." Mindy stated in a tired voice, as the energy she had from earlier, quickly dissipated.

Marcus stared at her for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh, and nodding.

"I'll be back in a few hours." Marcus said, as he walked forward and gave Mindy a kiss on the forehead. She just smiled in reply, as the others quickly said their goodbyes.

"Andrei." Dave stated as they were leaving, Andrei stopped and turned to look back at him.

"Let everyone get some rest... then put them to work. We need to upgrade the headquarters defenses. Run through it's layout, find areas where we can set up defenses, or make improvements." Dave stated.

Andrei nodded his head before turning to leave.

The only one to remain was Harper, he stood in place, staring at Dave for a few moments.

Dave just stared back at him, the to stood there like that for a few moments, just staring at each other, finally Harper spoke.

"You know... it's pretty impressive to see Samuel responding so much to you." He said in a calm voice.

"Yeah... doesn't seem like the guy who swears his life to someone, so casually..." Dave replied, he and Harper were still staring at each other.

"You'd be surprised." Harper replied as he turned to leave.

"Harper... They're afraid of us, aren't they?" Dave asked with a knowing look.

Harper stopped dead in his tracks, Mindy was beginning to feel exhausted, and yet somehow she found the energy to stay immersed in this conversation.

"I don't know what you mean..." Harper replied without looking back.

"It's why they sent Samuel, because they're afraid of us?" Dave stated, his eyes were narrow.

"Yes... they are afraid of you." Harper replied.

"Okay, what the fuck are you two talking about?" Mindy asked tiredly.

"They sent him to kill us... right?" Dave asked.

Harper let out a sigh, before turning to look back at him. "What tipped you off?"

"After our confrontation yesterday, I began to rethink everything that has happened. You told us originally, that this ordeal would be carried on the backs of civilians, and yet, Samuel shows up and gets put in charge of handling the group. Now I wouldn't be so bothered by this, if it weren't for the fact that Samuel isn't any normal secret agent... he's a weapon." Dave stated with a smirk.

"I wondered if you would ever catch on?" Harper stated with a smirk.

"What's he waiting for? If they sent him to kill us, then why hasn't he?" Dave asked, by now Mindy was back to being fully awake, and was listening intently.

"The orders weren't for him to kill you immediately, you still have your uses. They just wanted him to be close by, so that when the order came, their wouldn't be any problems. They're more afraid of Cain, then they are of you... that's why you're still alive. That's why he hasn't killed you yet." Harper explained.

"Why?" Mindy asked tiredly. "Why go through all of this? Why ask us to help, only to have us killed when we manage to do, what you asked us to do?"

"Because you're a threat, but they think that they can control you. At the same time, they're worried that you'll become too powerful to control, so they set up a fail-safe." Harper stated with dreary and tired look on his face.

"Why are they so afraid of us?" Mindy asked, curiously.

"To answer that question, I need to explain something to you..." Harper began as he leaned against a wall.

"Samuel, was trained from birth to be a weapon. He's thirty years old, and he's been training, since he was old enough to walk." Harper began to explain.

"Cain was trained by the same people... right?" Dave asked, in the middle of Harper's explanation.

"Yes... Cain was trained to be a leader, to be a soldier. Samuel was trained to be an assassin. Cain grew up, in Samuel's shadow, they were taught to be emotionless, to be cold and calculating. They were taught that emotion equaled weakness. Samuel adhered to that doctrine, and has to this very day, he was the best of all the children that were trained in the program. Something happened, on one of Cain's missions, when he was a teenager. When he came back, he was a changed man. Cain began to resent the program, and his teachings, eventually he left, and vanished off the face of the earth. It took MI6 two full years to track him down, and when they did, Samuel was sent to kill him. Samuel was the greatest weapon to emerge from the program... he and his superiors believed that he was the greatest fighter to have ever lived. They knew he could defeat Cain. They knew he would be victorious. And they knew he would erase their problem." Harper explained in great detail.

"...But he failed." Dave finished for him.

"Yes... when he finally met up with Cain. The two did battle, though, unbeknownst to Samuel, Cain had changed, he wasn't a cold heartless tool anymore. He had changed, and instead of Samuel wiping the floor with him, their battle turned into a duel, that has been described as epic. It lasted for over three hours, and finally ended with Cain disarming Samuel, and forcing him to the ground. Tradition dictates that the honorable thing to do, would have been to kill Samuel, but Cain didn't, instead he left Samuel alive, and Samuel has lived with the shame of his loss ever since." Harper, finished explaining.

"They still think Samuel is an emotionless tool? They still think he's just a weapon?" Dave stated with a smirk.

"Yes... but you've proven that he's not. For years, there was only one thing Samuel cared about, and that was his families honor. There was no one he loved, no one he liked, no one he hated. He simply didn't care about anyone. After his battle with Cain however, he changed. I don't think Samuel, is even aware of it, but he hates Cain, he hates him with every fiber of his being. He'll do anything, to beat him. That's why he swore his life to you. You did what Samuel was unable too, and he desperately wants to know how." Harper stated with a shake of his head.

"What will you tell them?" Dave asked.

"What do you mean?" Harper asked in reply.

"About Samuel... will you tell them, about him swearing his life to me? Will you tell them that he is starting to become an actual human being?" Dave asked, he had this look in his eyes, Mindy couldn't tell what it meant.

"If I tell them... then I'll just be confirming their fears, and they'll pull the plug on this whole operation. Regardless of what you may think of me... I still believe you have the power to save this city, and change it for the better." Harper stated in a tired tone of voice.

"What do you mean?" Dave asked, as he leaned on the wall next to Harper.

"This all started with Mindy..." Harper began.

"What started with me?" Mindy asked as she focused intently on Harper.

"They spent twenty-six years training Samuel to be the best. You've been trained for just over a decade, and you'll soon be, stronger than him. You're father gave you something Mindy... and whatever it was, you've given it to Dave, and he's passing it on to every member of your team." Harper explained.

"So they're worried because I'm a bad-ass?" Mindy asked, stuck between flattered and insulted.

"In two or three more years, you'll be stronger and faster, and more agile, then a man who's been training for over two and a half decades. Look at Dave... he managed to humiliate Cain... who's been training for just as long as Samuel, and yet Dave's only been training for four years! They aren't afraid of you because you're a bad-ass, they're afraid of you because of what you're creating. They spent millions making warriors like Samuel, like Cain. You're doing what they thought was impossible, and you're doing it for free. It scares the hell out of them..." Harper stated as he stood and began to pace in front of them.

"I get it..." Mindy stated with a nod. "They can't wrap their heads around how, I became as good as one of their super agents, in half the time. They can't figure out how, Dave has been training for less than half as long as I have, and yet, he's only a year or two away from being as good as me. I get it. I guess I never really thought about it before... but it is kind of scary."

"That's one of the main reasons they're scared of you, but theirs another, and it's just as interesting. Somehow Dave, you've managed to inspire this city into fighting for it's freedom. Look at all of the people you have fighting with you. You've got an ex criminal like Ace, you've got a psychopath like Andrew, you've got an ex Russian Spetsnaz who would have no reason, what so ever, to fight for our country, and yet he and his sister are risking their lives to protect this city. The things you've done Dave, are impressive, you've started something, you've disrupted the natural order of things... and it sends a cold chill running down their spines." Harper stated as he looked at Dave, there was something about the way the he looked at Dave, Mindy couldn't tell, but it looked like he was proud to be admitting it.

The three of them sat in silence for a few moments... before Dave let out a weary sigh and spoke. "So... what do you think I should do about Samuel?"

"Keep doing what you're doing. Somehow... by working with you guys, he's beginning to change. It may take a while, but if you keep doing what you're doing, you should be able to win him over." Harper said with a nod as he stared up at the ceiling.

"What do you think I should do about Aiko?" Dave asked after a moment.

"You do what you feel you have too. This is your show after all." Harper said with a smirk as he leaned off the wall and turned to leave.

Dave and Mindy watched him depart, both were deep in thought about what they had just learned. Mindy held a worried look, she didn't like the idea of letting Samuel anywhere near them, especially if, at any moment he could receive the order to kill them.

Dave noticed the worried look on her face, and let out a chuckle.

Mindy looked over at him and noticed him grinning. "What's so funny?" She asked.

"Better the devil you know..." Dave said with a mysterious smirk as he hobbled over to her bed side.

Mindy just gave him a curious look, before settling back down. Dave sat on the side of her bed and looked down at her. "You tired?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Mindy replied as she turned her to stare at him.

"I'll let you get some rest..." Dave stated as he started to stand back up.

"Dave..." He heard Mindy whisper his name, he looked at her and almost visibly recoiled at the sight. Dave watched as all her strength left her, she just lay there looking tired and weak.

"What is it?" He replied in a compassionate tone.

"Can you stay with me? I don't wanna be alone right now." Mindy asked. Dave just gave her a sad nod, he had never seen her this vulnerable before.

Dave just sat next to her, as sleep began to overtake her. It was another few moments before she passed out.

Dave stared at her sadly... after a moment he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "I will make The Nightmare go away... I promise." He whispered as he stood and walked over to the window.

He stared out towards the cities skyline... somehow the majesty of the skyline had vanished, now the city just looked like a vicious set of spires reaching for the heavens... beckoning unwelcome souls, to venture into the city.

* * *

-Two weeks later-

(Aiko's perspective)

Aiko felt a sharp pain in her jaw as a legionnaire punched her across the face.

"Why the hell won't this fucking bitch say anything!" The legionnaire growled to his partner who was leaning against the wall.

"I don't know... she wouldn't talk when I was here yesterday, either." He replied with a shake of his head.

"I don't know what you think is going to happen to you, but I can promise you, if you don't open your fucking mouth and tell me what I want to know, then your death is going to be far worse then you can imagine!" The first legionnaire leered as he leaned close to her.

Aiko quickly smiled as he leaned close to her, she flung her head back and then smashed it into the legionnaires head. He let out a wail of pain and fell back, the other legionnaire just shook his head and knelt to help his comrade up.

"You bitch!" The injured legionnaire shouted as he got to his feet.

Aiko quickly laughed and said something in Japanese.

"What the hell did you say?!" He growled as he grabbed her by her neck and cocked a fist back.

"She said you hit like a complete bitch and you should probably change your day job." Came a mysterious voice.

The two legionaries looked back at the entrance to the small interrogation room, there stood two men, one was average height, obviously Asian, he was dressed very formal, the other was slightly taller, he was also Asian, his eyes were small and his skin was pale. The second man had a small polite smile, and was dressed in a business suit, he also held a briefcase in his hand, his skin was pain and he had short bowl cut, black hair.

"As much as I'd like to see you hit her again, I'm afraid my associate here would not take kindly to it, so, sadly, I'm going to ask you to refrain from that." The shorter man stated, with a smile

"Daichi, Hanzo!" Aiko stated with a smirk.

"It took you long enough to get here." One of the legionnaires growled.

"My sincerest of apologies, severe weather in L.A. caused our flight to be delayed." The smaller man stated keeping his smile.

"Where is mister Fugiwara?" The other legionnaire asked.

"He regrets that he couldn't be here today. Pressing business with Cain, you see." At the mention of their masters name, the legionnaires became more respectful.

"I see... we release her into your care. Do you require any assistance?" The injured legionnaire asked, in a very formal tone.

"No, I do believe we have everything under control." The smaller man responded, keeping his smile, after a moment the legionnaires caught the hint, and left the three of them alone.

"Princess Aiko... look at you... your father would be most distressed to see you in such a state." The smaller man stated in a mocking tone.

"Fuck you Daichi! You and my father can go to hell!" Aiko spat in return.

"Oh... I see... so being here, amongst these animals, has ruined your attitude." Daichi mocked in reply.

"These people are not animals! You watch your tone Daichi! The second I get out of here, I'm going to tear your eyes out!" Aiko growled.

"What happened to you Aiko? You had a simple mission... and it seems that you somehow managed to fuck it up." Daichi chided her.

"I woke up! Maybe you should too... otherwise you might find your life ending sooner then you planned." Aiko stated in a menacing voice.

"Princess Aiko appears to be in a foul mood." The taller man stated with a smile.

"It's good to see you again Hanzo." Aiko said as she gave the taller man a small smile.

The taller man simply smiled in reply.

"Yes well, we should probably..." Daichi started, but stopped when they heard a loud thump against the door.

In an instant, the two men spun around and drew silenced handguns. They both leveled them at the door.

After a moment, the door flung open and a black mass came rushing in. The two men fired at the mass as it barreled into Daichi, and Aiko, knocking both of them over.

Aiko looked over just in time to see the familiar form of Andrew using the body of a legionnaire as a human shield.

"Hanzo, stop!" Aiko shouted. As he heard her voice the taller man, lowered his handgun and just stared at her.

As Daichi struggled to his feet, Aiko saw Dave, and Marty charge in and tackle him. Dave landed on top of him, while Marty pinned his arms, Aiko watched as Dave drew one of his swords, she noticed that he had switched out his straight ninja swords to Wakizashi. Dave quickly plunged the sword into Daichi's heart. Aiko couldn't escape the feeling of glee she felt as the bastard began to choke on his own blood.

Andrew, got to his feet and raised a sawn-off shotgun, and aimed it at Hanzo.

"Andrew! It's fine!" Aiko shouted to him.

Andrew looked down at her, as Hanzo just looked around, keeping his smile.

Dave quickly appeared at her side, she felt him cut her bindings. He then stood in front of her and looked her in the eyes. Aiko was surprised to see that he didn't look angry, he almost looked happy to see her.

"Let's get you home." Dave said as he stuck out a hand for her.

Aiko looked at him, then at his hand... after a second she smiled happily and took his hand.

"What do we do with this guy?" Andrew asked as he eyed Hanzo.

"Take him with us. He's my body guard... all of my siblings have one, there is no one he is more loyal to then me." Aiko told them.

Dave looked at her, then looked at Hanzo.

"Keep and eye on him, if her tries anything, kill him." Dave told Andrew.

"That sounds like it could be painful." Hanzo commented.

"Creepy fuck!" Marty stated as he followed Dave out of the room.

"Stay close Hanzo. Be good." Aiko said to him as she followed after Dave.

"We have her... go loud!" Aiko saw Dave, shout into a walky-talky.

As he finished speaking, Aiko heard a loud crashing sound, they walked by a window, that overlooked a large loading dock, she watched as two, very familiar, armored, SUV, busted through the gates of the loading dock, and a cluster of heroes hopped out of the cars and started to shoot up the place.

She stuck close to Dave as he and the rest of them made their way to the roof. Dave quickly pulled out a flare and tossed it. A moment went by before a familiar helicopter appeared.

"Justice Forever, your flight has arrived, if you could all board in an orderly and fashionable manner... that'd be great." Jon said over the walk-talky, as he landed on the roof.

"We're at the helicopter... get out of there guys!" Dave called over the radio, as they all piled into the helicopter.

They quickly took off, right as the SUV's tore out of the loading docks, the members of Justice Forever, safely inside.

"You look like shit!" Dave shouted to Aiko, as they flew.

Aiko looked at him, and smiled, before replying "I missed you too, Dave!"

"Let's get you home... I think theirs someone who wants to give you a big sloppy kiss!" Marty laughed.

"It'll be good to see Ace again." Aiko stated with a warm smile.

"I think he meant Eisenhower, but yeah, Ace too." Dave shouted, with a big grin, under his mask.

"You seem to have made a lot of friends, princess Aiko." Hanzo commented, he still had that same happy smile.

"Creepy fucker!" Andrew stated.

"I know, right!" Marty shouted.

"Thank you guys... I didn't think you would actually come for me..." Aiko admitted.

"Don't thank us yet... you've still got the tiny fucking terror to contend with... and Mindy's nowhere near as forgiving as the rest of us." Dave chided.

Aiko just sat back and smiled at him.

* * *

-Twenty Minutes Later-

They landed the helicopter just outside of the headquarters, and got out... the garage was open, and the SUV were already inside. The helicopter had to fly around for a bit to make sure they weren't being followed, before they could fly back to the headquarters.

The group members all piled out and walked towards the open door. Aiko was taking her sweet time getting to the entrance.

"Is there something wrong, princess Aiko?" Hanzo asked, as he stood by her side.

"Just nervous... I don't know how, any of them will ever forgive me for what I've done." Aiko admitted.

"They probably wont. You infiltrated their organization, and eventually betrayed them... this is the kind of thing people get executed for... I would watch my back." Hanzo stated, he still hadn't lost his small smile.

"Have I ever told you how much I missed you?" Aiko asked looking at him sideways.

"No..." Hanzo stated after a moment of thought.

"Good." Aiko responded dryly as she marched towards the door.

She found the garage empty, but the door to the armory was open, as Aiko approached it, she took a deep breath, and tried to settle her nerves.

After a moment she walked through the door, she found all of the members of Justice Forever standing in there waiting for her. She scanned the crowd for Ace, but her eyes stopped when they caught a glance at Mindy who was leaning against Natasha for support.

"Don't give me that look... I'll be better and back to kicking your ass in no time." Mindy stated after a moment.

"You still haven't won a fight against me." Aiko commented, with a small smile.

"Why the fuck do you think I wanted you back here? I won't be able to win, if you're not here." Mindy huffed in response.

"We'll talk about punishment later... for now... get some rest." Dave told Aiko, as he motioned for the rest of the group to disperse.

"...and about your friend?" Dave continued after a moment.

"He's with me... I'll keep an eye on him. He wont be a problem." Aiko responded.

"I'll hold you too that." Dave stated giving her a look, before turning and walking over to Mindy.

"I'm watching you." Mindy stated dryly as Dave helped her hobble out of the room.

The only one to remain was Ace... he just stood in the center of the room staring at her, after a moment he decided to walk up to her.

The two stood in silence for a few moments before Aiko finally spoke up.

"Ace... about what happened... I..." She began but Ace cut her off with a kiss.

The two held the kiss for a few moments before Ace pulled away and gave her a small smile.

"Rest." He said to her, as he turned to leave. "You're gonna need it... I think Mindy plans on running your ass till midnight... for a month." Ace finished with a laugh as he left.

Aiko just stood there for a moment, her eyes wide with surprise, Hanzo finally broke the silence when he commented. "Well, now this awkward."

Aiko looked over at him and then hung her head... "Hanzo... you are one of a kind..."

Aiko, couldn't escape the feeling of happiness she felt... if felt like... somehow... she had come home.

_Okay! I'm Done here__'__s you next chapters... review and let me know what you think... I'll try to have the next chapter out sometime late next week. Until then, see ya!_


	29. Chapter 28

_Okay on too the next chapter... since I love you guys I'm releasing it early... let me know what you think... I'm always open to creative criticism, it helps me become a better writer, and it help me produce a better story... with all this being said... I think this chapter will be on the shorter side... since I just feel like writing, and haven't really planned on a lot. _

_**Fall of a Hero, Rise of a Legend!**_

Chapter 28

"Ten!" Mindy huffed as she reached ten sit ups. She fell back and was breathing heavily... 'only fucking ten? What is wrong with me?' Mindy berated herself as she lay on her bedroom floor. It had been two week since Aiko returned, and Mindy finally had her stitches removed.

She was told to take it easy, but she just couldn't, not with Cain running around out there doing god knows what. She had, had her stitches out for three days, and she spent every free moment she had getting a little bit of exercise in. She was still weak, and it hurt like a bitch to move her leg, but that didn't stop her from trying.

She had gained a lot of strength back in her shoulder, and it only hurt a little when she stretched her arm. Her leg however was a different story, it hurt no matter what she did with it. Whether she was sitting or training, the only difference was whether it was a sharp or dull pain.

"Ten is all I can manage." She said aloud in a disappointed tone.

"That's cuz you're still healing." Came Dave's annoyed voice.

Mindy jumped in surprise, and then let out a pained groan, as her hands fell to her thigh and hip. "Don't fucking do that!" She hissed, as she caressed the tender skin around her wound.

"I wouldn't be able to sneak up on you if you were lying in bed like you're supposed too." Dave stated with a shake of his head as he walked into the room and stood over her.

"Fuck that!" Mindy whined as she began to struggle to her feet. She had gained a lot of her mobility back, but getting up, and sitting down, were both immensely painful, endeavors.

Dave let out a sigh and reached out to help her, she saw this and quickly slapped his hand away. "Don't help me! That's the last thing I need is more of you helping me!" Mindy snapped, ever since her injuries she had become immensely bipolar, going from, tired and annoyed, at her inability to do anything, to angry and temperamental.

Dave just held his hands up in surrender and took a step back as Mindy struggled to her feet. Dave watched her sadly, he understood what made her so irritable, Mindy's whole life was about being a hero, and being bed ridden for so long, must have been like water torture, slowly eroding her soul.

After a few more moments Mindy got to her feet, she stood in place before looking over at him. Dave quickly adjusted the look of pity on his face to a neutral look. He had learned the hard way, if there was anything that Mindy hated more then being forced off the streets, it was when people pitied her.

"What?" Mindy asked in an irritated tone.

Dave just shook his head and turned to leave, the best thing to do when she got like this, was to just walk away and let her simmer down. Mindy's attitude had gotten a lot worse since she got her stitches out, it was a huge milestone for her, she had to wait until her stitches were out, before she could begin gaining her strength back, now that her stitches were out, Mindy wanted to start training and working out, of course, that's not how it works, she still had to rest, and she was constantly being forced back into bed by Marcus, who kept telling her that she wasn't fully healed yet.

Not much had happened over the two weeks, Aiko was turned into the groups official punching bag for a few months and Cain was laying low. It was funny, Aiko had turned into a sweetheart, since she'd come back and she was spending a lot of time with Ace, in the end the group decided that making Aiko the groups practice dummy for six months was a good punishment. She was on probation, and many members of the group were watching her, she wasn't allowed to go anywhere by herself, and she had to spend all day on the training mats with anyone who wanted to spar. On her first day, she was forced to fight Duncan, Andrei, and Crystal, for over an hour, needless to say she got her ass beat.

Aiko also spent a lot of time with Dave, Andrei, Marcus, Samuel, and Duncan, telling them all about her fathers organization. She didn't know a lot about the others, or Cain for that matter, what she did know was that Cain had been on her father's and his partners payroll for a long time.

Mindy didn't end up learning a whole lot, seeing as how she was bedridden, and she didn't feel like asking Dave. She just wanted to focus on getting better, and that's what she spent her time doing. She would often workout when no one was looking, and that often got her in trouble with Marcus, they got into a pretty heated argument the other day, and it ended with Mindy storming off to her room.

Things were getting tense between Mindy and Dave as well, Dave had done his fair share of forcing Mindy back into bed, and she was just as hostile towards him as she was Marcus. He cared about her health, but that didn't seem to matter to Mindy, she kept assuring the two of them that she knew what her body could handle, yet her constant, whines and moans of pain, told them otherwise. They were both afraid that she'd push herself to hard, and be forced back onto the bed for a long time, and they just wanted her to be safe.

Mindy was the kind of girl who took offense to that kind of thinking. She thought they were babying her, or they didn't think she could do it, and it pissed her off to no end.

"What do you want Dave?" Mindy asked again as he walked toward the door.

"Nothing... I was just passing by." Dave said with a shake of his head as he reached the door. Dave cared very deeply about her, and he understood why she was so irritable, but that didn't mean that he wasn't hurt when she snapped at him. He would often just walk away from these confrontations with Mindy, to stop himself from saying something hurtful in reply, but it was getting harder and harder, especially since she didn't seem to notice just how much of a bitch she was becoming.

Mindy stared after him for a minute and then looked over at the clock, it was 11:15, and it was almost time for them to hit the hay. "Where are you going?" Mindy asked, curiously, as her annoyance vanished.

Dave stopped for a second, before answering, "The living room."

"Why?" Mindy asked as she glanced back over at the clock, they were both awake later then usual.

"It's bed time, and I gotta get some shut eye." Dave stated suddenly.

"You've got a perfectly good be right here." Mindy responded in a confused tone.

"That not my bed, a child sleeps in that bed, and I don't sleep with children." Dave stated coldly as he glanced back at her, his eyes cold and angry. Dave didn't understand why he said that, he was unprepared when he his mind decided to put it's foot down.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mindy asked, with a mixture of surprise and anger.

"It means, when my girlfriend stops acting like a spoiled fucking brat, then I'll sleep with her again, until then, you can find me on the couch!" Dave hissed angrily as he marched out of the room.

Mindy just stared after him slack-jawed. She stood there for a second, 'did he just... what happened?' she wondered. After a moment she quickly began to hobble after him, it still hurt immensely to take a step, and Mindy didn't have a lot of strength in her thigh anymore, so her leg felt like a sack of bricks.

Mindy hobbled into the living room, she didn't see Dave anywhere around. After a moment Aiko and Hanzo walked into the living room, Aiko was icing her shoulder. "I going to guess that, that really hurt." Hanzo said with a his creepy smile.

"Yeah, yeah." Aiko sighed in reply, she stopped when she noticed Mindy scanning the room and trying to look past Aiko.

"Looking for Dave?" Aiko asked after a second.

"Yeah." Mindy replied as she focused her attention on Aiko.

"He just walked by us, towards the training room, he looked kind of upset." Aiko stated.

"Upset? He looked very mad. I do believe I saw steam coming out of his ears." Hanzo stated, with a single laugh.

"Don't be creepy Hanzo." Aiko stated without looking back at him.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to be humorous. I'll try better next time." Hanzo replied, his smile never vanishing.

Mindy quickly hobbled past them, gritting her teeth, as an agonizing bolt of pain shot through her leg. She got to the training room and found Dave training with his swords. He had them reforged into Wakizashi, one had a blue handle and the other had a red handle, he started calling them Justice and Vengeance. Marty helped him come up with the names, a few of the others even began naming some of their weapons.

Dave's new swords were much sharper, and stronger then his old blades, whomever Samuel had reforge Cain's sword, was an excellent sword smith.

Mindy stared at him for a second, watching as he spun around with his blades in hand. She couldn't help but notice how much better Dave had become, since he first started training with swords. He was quickly going to pass her up in the area of sword fighting, and he would quickly overtake Aiko, and maybe, one day, even Samuel.

Dave stopped when he caught her reflection in one of his swords, he let his blades fall to his sides, as he looked over at her.

"What?" He asked, his eyes were narrow.

Mindy stared at him for a second before, shaking her head and refocusing. She had become so lost in admiring how much Dave had improved since his Kickass days, that she had almost forgotten why she had followed after him.

"I don't know what you're so pissed about, but if I've done something to piss you off then maybe..." Mindy began to rant, but Dave just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Mindy stopped mid sentence and glared at him. "I am not a spoiled fucking brat... you fucking cunt!" Mindy yelled at him angrily, she was completely clueless as to why he was acting like this.

"You need to rest. Go to bed, and simmer down." Dave stated, as he eyed her.

"I'm not tired, I'm never tired... besides, I spend all day sleeping, and laying in that fucking bed, I think I've earned a few hours to walk around, and exercise." Mindy huffed in an irritated tone.

"You're not ready, not yet." Dave stated with a shake of his head

"You don't get to decide that, Dave!" Mindy sounded insulted as she responded.

"Your body is still recovering. Just because you got your stitches out, doesn't mean you are free to start your old routines." Dave stated, he noticed Mindy's face darken in anger, after a second he realized that he must have sounded condescending, when he said that.

"My body is fine... Give me three weeks, and I'll be better then I was before." Mindy boasted, in an angry tone.

Dave stared at her for a second, before he decided he'd had enough of her whining.

Dave walked towards her, after he got within five feet, he tossed one of his swords to her. She caught it with a look of surprise.

"Show me... if you can even land one hit on me... then I'll let you do whatever you want." Dave stated.

"What..." Mindy began to say, but she was cut short when Dave swung at her with the flat side of his sword.

Mindy blocked the strike but stumbled back a few feet, bolts of pain shooting up her leg with each step. She didn't have time to react as Dave quickly closed the gap, and punched her in the shoulder, the same shoulder where her stab wound resided a few weeks prior. Dave had picked up on that from Samuel, who would take every opportunity he could to work over Dave's sore arms.

Mindy grit her teeth in pain and raised her blade, now she was getting really pissed at him, he just gave her a look of pity.

Mindy tried to lunge at him with the blade, but she had lost a great deal of her speed, and the constant pain, prevented her from keeping her focus. Dave easily side stepped the lunge, and then decided to end their little sparring match. He quickly used the flat side of his sword to deliver a strike right to the tender flesh of Mindy's leg wound. She let out a yelp of pain, and crumpled to the floor, loosing Dave's sword in the process.

Dave just stared down at her as she struggled to get to her feet, he sadly walked past her and picked up his sword.

"See, you're not ready." Dave stated as she made it to her feet. Mindy's face was dark, and her eyes were an inferno of rage.

"Asshole!" Mindy growled.

"Anyone could tell that you are favoring your left leg... that obviously means somethings wrong with your right. Anyone who sees you walk will notice the hobble. You are not ready yet. Stop beating yourself up, and rest. When the pain doesn't bother you anymore, you can return to training." Dave stated as he turned to return to the training mat.

"So now I'm your fucking slave?! Why don't you just tie me down to that fucking bed?" Mindy shouted at him.

Dave just continued to walk towards the training mat, he was vaguely aware that they had attracted an audience. Katie, and Marcus were standing in one of the doorways.

"Don't turn you back on me, Dave! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Mindy hissed, spitting as much venom as she could at him.

Dave just shook his head again, and returned to training.

"Now you're going to fucking ignore me?!" Mindy shouted angrily. Suddenly, her anger got the best of her and she grabbed a nearby five pound dumbbell and threw it at him.

Dave caught her movement in the corner of his eye, and turned just in time for the dumbbell to hit him right in the face. The dumbbell connected with his jaw, and he dropped to his knee, after a moment he tasted a little bit of blood in his mouth. He glanced over at Marcus and Katie, who both had looks of shock, after a second Marcus prepared to make a move, but Dave just raised a hand to tell him to stay out of it.

Mindy's jaw just hung open, she could not believe that she'd just done that, she didn't know what possessed her to throw a fucking dumbbell at his head.

After a moment Dave stood up and looked over at her, he looked pissed, but he didn't say anything, after a second of staring, Dave started to advance towards her.

Mindy's look didn't change, she still held a look of disbelief, she was still trying to compute that fact that she'd thrown something at him, it still hadn't registered that he was actually hurt. Dave came to a stop, and stared at her for a few moments before speaking.

"Yeah... you're definitely not some spoiled brat. You're... just a...bitch." He said with a shake of his head as he spat some blood onto the floor, Mindy glanced down at the blood, and then back at Dave, tears were beginning to form in her eyes as a look of guilt crept across her face..

Dave made a move to walk past her, but her hand quickly shot out and grabbed his arm. Dave looked back at her, she had tears streaming down her face, and she looked distraught. "Dave... I am so sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that! I just lost control for a second... oh god! Dave... I'm sorry! Dave..." Mindy whined.

Dave's face was stone, he just had a distant look as he stared down at her. She kept whining and apologizing, for almost a minute, before Dave finally reacted. He pulled away from her and adopted a disappointed look. "Go cool down! I don't wanna see you until your attitude is back under control!" Dave growled as he turned to and walked away.

"Dave! I'm sorry!" Mindy stated just loud enough to hear, somehow as she spoke she knew that she shouldn't have.

"Just fucking go!" Dave hissed angrily, as he shot her a death glare.

Dave left Mindy just standing in the empty training room, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

-Noon the next day-

"Fuck!" Dave growled as he rose back to his feet, Samuel stood opposite of him, sword drawn. Ever since he swore himself to Dave, Dave and Samuel have been training with each other, every day. Dave needed a teacher and with Mindy out of the game for a while he had to settle with what he had access too.

Samuel was not a kind teacher, but he was an excellent sword fighter, and Dave trusted in his expertise.

"More focus! Less passion!" Samuel hissed.

"I know!" Dave whined as he raised his swords.

"Hey, Dave!" Miranda stated as she, Marcus, and Eileigh walked into the training room.

Dave glanced over, and lowered his weapons, "What?" He asked as they approached.

"You need to do something about Mindy." Marcus stated.

"She needs to learn, that not everything runs on 'Mindy' time. She has to be more patient." Dave said with a shake of his head.

"She knows that... she's just too stubborn to admit it." Eileigh said with a sad smile.

"Look, she needs to simmer down. When she finally calms down, then I'll go talk to her." Dave stated in a matter of fact, tone.

"Dave... she's in her room, right now, crying her eyes out." Miranda said with a sigh.

"Yeah, and she was up all night crying too." Eileigh added.

"I think she's learned her lesson. I went in there to check on her, she didn't even look at me." Marcus stated.

Dave had a sad look on his face... he hadn't intended to make Mindy cry, now he was starting feel like a dick.

Marcus sensed the guilt take up residence in Dave's mind and quickly made a move to intercede it. "Dave... you did the right thing. Someone needed to tell her how rude she's been acting, and I think she's gotten the message. I'm not saying you need to forgive her for throwing a dumbbell at your face, but at the very least let her try to apologize..." Marcus offered.

Dave looked at them for a moment before his shoulders sagged and he glanced over at Samuel. "I think we're done for now."

"Fine." Samuel stated without a fuck to give.

Dave looked at the others, he just stood there for a long time, before finally he locked eyes with Marcus.

"She needs something... something to distract her from everything that's been going on." Dave told him with a determined look.

"What kind of distraction did you have in mind?" Marcus asked curiously.

Dave stood silent for a moment, after a few seconds he adopted a gentle smile and a warm expression before stating, "I wanna ask Mindy to marry me."

"Didn't she already ask you to marry her?" Eileigh asked, kind of confused.

"Yeah, we said we would get married but neither of us, has put a ring on the others hand. I think, it would make her feel better, if I proposed... you know, with a ring." Dave explained.

Katie, Miranda, and Eileigh, just smiled. Marcus adopted a smirk before stating, "I think that would be a great idea."

Dave nodded a few times before turning to leave. "I'm going out for a little while, I'll be back soon." Dave called to them as he made a bee line for the garage.

An hour went by, before Dave returned. He took his sweet time making it to his room, once he arrived, he paused.

Dave leaned his head against the door, he could hear soft sobbing coming from inside. Dave's hand rose up to his jaw, it was slightly swollen, he was lucky that she hadn't knocked any teeth out. Dave finally shook his head and walked in.

The room was pitch black, he could barely make out the outline of Mindy, laying on the bed, wrapped in blankets. He could still hear her sobbing and sniffling, as he shut the door and walked over and sat next to her on the bed.

"Go away, Marcus." Mindy whined, her head hidden underneath some blankets.

Dave just sat there silently, after a moment he rested his hand on what he assumed was her leg.

"Marcus! I said go away!" Mindy whined as she sat up to look at him.

Her eyes widened a little when she noticed Dave's outline in the dark. Dave quietly leaned forward and turned on the lamp on the nightstand, illuminating the dark room.

"Dave..." Mindy stated breathlessly.

Dave just looked at her with sad eyes, she looked awful, her eyes were red and puffy, her face was damp with tears, and she was disheveled looking.

"You can go ahead and stop crying now, pretty girl." Dave cooed, as he reached out and caressed her face.

"Dave... I'm so sorry." Mindy began as she scooted towards him, "I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I get it... I've been a real pain in the ass... and I'm sorry for throwing that dumbbell at you. It was dumb and stupid, and I did it out of anger. I don't even know what I was thinking..."

"Mindy... I get it... I know it must suck, to be stuck in a bed... I know you must feel like a burden, feel useless. I get it... Mindy you can't keep pushing yourself like this... you're not going to get better if you wake up and tear your body apart trying to workout." Dave berated her, as compassionately as he could.

"I know..." Mindy stated with a sad nod. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay..." Dave said with a small smile as he pulled her into a hug.

"We want you back out there with us, and the only way you're going to get out there, is to take care of yourself. All of this training, and working out, it's gotta stop... you're not ready, not yet... give it a few more days... let your body rest... I promise you, you will get better." Dave whispered to her.

"...Okay..." He heard Mindy whisper in a quite and somber voice, he guessed at this point she would have agreed to anything to earn his forgiveness.

The two young lovers sat in each others embrace for a little while, their bodies were pressed closely together, and Mindy was nuzzling into Dave's neck. Eventually she felt something hard pressing against her.

"Dave, do you have something in your pocket?" Mindy asked.

Dave just smirked as he thought of a funny and clever lie. "No, that's my penis."

"Oh..." Mindy stated, with a little embarrassment.

Dave held back a giggle, at her embarrassment.

"God, anything would turn you on wouldn't it?" Mindy finally asked pulling away from the embrace with a smirk.

"No, recently, the only thing that turns me on is you." Dave quipped in reply, as he kissed her forehead.

"...Really?" Mindy asked quietly after a second.

"You should know by now... I'm not attracted to you because you're the most beautiful girl in the world, I'm attracted to you because I love you, the fact that you're beautiful is just an awesome bonus." Dave stated with a goofy grin, that Mindy hadn't seen in while.

Mindy just smiled in reply, after a second her hands began to trail down to the end of her shirt, she began playing with it, as she stared at him.

Dave noticed as a look of desire took up residence on her face, the two hadn't had sex since Mindy's injuries... and Mindy never seemed interested. Dave guessed that she didn't want him to see her scar.

"Dave?" She asked silently as she pressed against him.

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you." Dave replied with a sad look.

"...Just take it easy with me, okay?" Mindy responded, as she remembered what they had just talked about.

"You let me know if it hurts. I'll stop." Dave declared, Mindy only nodded in reply.

Mindy scooted back and began to undress herself. Dave quickly did the same, his eyes were locked on her as she lifted her shirt up over her head. He quickly finished undressing and continued to admire Mindy as she stripped. His eyes fell on the scar on her shoulder, it was noticeable but not nearly as bad as the one on her leg, Dave always had a strange feeling whenever he thought about her shoulder scar, given the fact that he too, had been stabbed in the shoulder, and had a matching scar.

Mindy cringed in pain as she pulled her pajama pants, and panties off in one motion, she slid them off and immediately looked at Dave. She was glad that she'd finally been able to shave, and take a bath by herself, otherwise this whole thing would have been awkward, at least for her.

She watched as his eyes scanned her body, she had a silent worry that the enormous jagged scar on her hip and thigh would deter him, but the lust in his eyes, and his erect member, dispersed that worry.

After another moment of staring at each other, Dave finally crawled forward on the bed, and pulled Mindy into an embrace. As he held her, he pressed his lips to hers, Mindy felt his hands trail down her body.

He gently caressed her breasts, as he continued to kiss her. After a few moments one of his hands trailed down to her sensitive opening. Mindy moaned into the kiss, as Dave began to run his fingers along her slit.

After a moment he slipped a finger into her pussy, while at the same time her used his thumb to message her clit, Mindy moaned loudly, but the two never broke their kiss. Mindy began to gently grind against his hand, it was hard not too, even with the occasional bolt of pain.

Dave continued to finger her for a minute or so before gently wrapping an arm around her and laying her on her back. He watched Mindy wince in pain as she spread her legs open for him to enter.

"Are you okay?" Dave cooed, finally breaking the kiss.

Mindy bit her lip, and nodded. She could handle the pain, and their was no way she was going to let him cut this moment short.

Dave sighed and smiled at her, he knew she was just putting on a brave face, but as long as she wasn't in agonizing pain, he would let her decide when to stop.

Dave sat up, and began to position himself to enter her. Mindy let out a moan as he pushed into her wet opening.

Dave gently rocked his hips against hers, trying his best to keep from causing her too much pain. Every time Mindy would wince or cringe, Dave would stop, and he would look at her with sad eyes, then Mindy would grit her teeth and rock her hips, she wanted this, and they had come to far to stop now.

The two young lovers continued like this for about ten minutes, when, finally, Mindy felt that familiar feeling return.

Mindy began to buck faster, she didn't care about the pain emanating from her leg, the pleasure was just too enticing.

Finally Mindy let out a loud moan as she buried her head into Dave's shoulder, and felt her orgasm wash over her. She heard Dave moan as well, and quickly felt his warm seed fill her up. Mindy and Dave laid there panting for a few moments, finally Mindy pulled Dave into a kiss.

The two held the kiss for a few moments, before Mindy pulled back, "Thanks Dave."

"You're welcome." Dave stated with a chuckle as he caressed her cheek.

The two just laid there for a few moments, cuddling, when finally Dave rolled over, and reached onto the floor.

Mindy just watched as he rolled back over and smiled at her.

"What did you just grab?" She asked with a little grin.

"Nothing, just checking my phone." Dave replied, innocently.

"Waiting for a call?" Mindy inquired, curiously.

"Nope, just checking for messages." Dave answered in a neutral tone.

"Weirdo." Mindy stated with a shake of her head.

"Hey, Mindy. Theirs something I want to ask you?" Dave stated after a moment.

"What?" Mindy asked as Dave caressed her cheek.

"Wanna get married?" He asked with a dorky smile.

"For the third time... yeah." Mindy replied with a smile.

"Sorry. What I meant to say was, Mindy Macready, will you marry me?" Dave stated as he held up a ring, with a small diamond on it.

Mindy looked at it, then looked at Dave then looked back at the ring. Dave couldn't hide his smile, as her eyes began to flutter.

"Holy shit Dave. Where did you get this?" Mindy asked as she examined the ring closely.

"Bought it at a pawn shop. I figured it was about time I make you my official fiancee." Dave replied, keeping his dorky grin.

Mindy's eyes began to water as she locked eyes with him, "Well in that case, yes, I will marry you." Mindy replied with a smile.

Dave's smiled widened as he put the ring on her finger, and pulled her into a hug.

Mindy let out a soft sob, as she wrapped her arms around him, she always held moments like this close to her heart, moments with Dave, that seemed to exist outside of all of the chaos and carnage. These moments were precious and were always greeted with love and happiness.

As Dave held her in his arms, he couldn't help but once again wonder what the future would hold, and if fate would be so kind, as to let them have the future that they deserve...

_Okay thats it for this chapter... sry it was kind of short, I'm a bit actioned out for a while, that's why I wrote this drama based chapter... I hope you guys like it, and look forward to the next chapter soon, until then let me know what you think and critisims is always excepted, you arent going to make me mad, if you inform me of a problem with my story, it helps me become a better writer if I know my flaws so don't be afraid to speak up... till later!_


	30. Chapter 29

Not much to say here... this is going to be an intense chapter. Let me know what you think.

_**Fall of a Hero, Rise of a Legend.**_

Chapter 29

"So what's the mission Lt?" A young Corporal asked his commanding officer as they traveled down one of the streets of New York, in an APC.

The marines traveled as part of a large armored convoy, this was the marines first mission in New York, they had recently been called in, to serve as the assault force, since the national guard was ordered to handle the defense of the city's outer perimeter, it was now up to the marines to fight within the city.

"Our mission is to rescue civilians who were taken captive by the Order of Carnage." The Lieutenant began to explain.

"To be specific, we're rescuing children." A Colonel interjected.

"Children, sir?" The Corporal asked, as he looked over at the Colonel.

"The Order of Carnage, attacked and took over a school. Since the bad guys were settling down, the mayor thought it would be a good idea to try and get things back to normal. The National Guard and the NYPD, were babysitting the school when it was attacked, we have reason to believe that some of them have survived and are being held with the children. This is a K-12 school, so we have kids of all ages in there. We get to go and walk them out." The Lieutenant explained.

"So we finally get to fight some of those crazy motherfuckers, I've been waiting for this for a long time." A Sergeant, spoke up, he received several nods of agreement.

"Sorry Sergeant. No fighting needed this time. We're here to get the civilians and get them to a safe place. Command wants them debriefed so that we can gain some Intel on these Order of Carnage, guys." The Colonel explained.

"So if we're just walking the civilians out, what happened to all the bad guys?" The Corporal asked with a confused look.

"Our heroes, rescued the civilians. They're there right now, keeping the perimeter secure. Command wants us to relieve them." The Colonel explained with a grin. Most of the soldiers in the APC adopted similar grins, every branch of the armed forces had heard about the costumed heroes running around New York. At first the soldiers, just like the NYPD, thought that the heroes would just be a nuisance, but after everything that has happened, many within the U.S. armed forces held great admiration for the 'impromptu' militia.

"I heard that they rescued, like, eight army boys, when their convoy got hit a few weeks back." The Sergeant said with an excited look.

"Damn straight. I heard they managed to assault one of the bad guys headquarters. I hear they slammed a gas tanker right through the front door, and then blew it up." The Lieutenant, replied with a smirk.

"Well I heard that after they blew up that gas tanker, a few of them charged inside and kicked the fuck out of the leader of The Order of Carnage." The Corporal added, excitedly.

"These guys are supposedly amazing fighter. They handled the bad guys, we've been asked to take care of the civilians." The Colonel stated, keeping his smile.

"So why are you here, sir?" The Corporal asked after a moment.

"What do you mean?" The Colonel replied.

"Well, no offense, but isn't this sort of thing, below your pay grade?" The Corporal stated, trying his hardest to be respectful.

"Command wants me to make sure you assholes don't somehow fuck this up." The Colonel responded, he received a few snickers from the other Marines.

"To answer your question, Command wants me to make contact with the leader of Justice Forever." The Colonel answered after a moment.

"Oh, okay." The Corporal stated with a nod.

"I hear the guy running the group is only a kid, like eighteen, nineteen years old." The Sergeant, stated after a moment.

"Are you serious, Sergeant?" The Corporal asked with a disbelieving look.

"I'm afraid he's right." The Colonel interjected, "In fact, most of the group members are young adults."

"Wow... Anyone getting a 'Red Dawn' vibe from this?" The Corporal asked with a smirk.

"Fuck yeah!" The Lieutenant stated almost immediately.

After a moment the APC lurched to a stop and the door began to open.

"Alright marines, let's get these people to safety." The Lieutenant shouted as his men poured out and made a bee line for the nearby school.

The Colonel walked out after them, his eyes were drawn to the handful of costumed heroes that sat out in front of the school. He quickly approached them, he watched as a handful of Marines passed them, each one offering a nod of appreciation.

After a moment, a large hooded figure broke from the crowd, as he approached he pulled down his hood and removed a metal face mask. The Colonel knew exactly who this kid was, he was Dave Lisewski, leader of Justice Forever.

A moment went by before Dave made his way to the Colonel, the two stared at each other for a moment, as kids began to exit the school.

"Thanks for coming." Dave finally said.

"Thanks for clearing out the bad guys." The Colonel replied.

"We managed to get our hands on a few of them." Dave stated as he nodded towards a line of about six legionnaires, all on their knees. Mindy and Duncan stood behind them, with rifles pressed to their backs.

"Thank you for that..." The Colonel said as he analyzed Dave, after a moment he finally smiled and continued, "You look like hammered shit, son."

"Thanks." Dave replied with a forced smile.

"So... what can you tell me about what occurred here?" The Colonel finally got down to business.

"The Order of Carnage, set a trap for us. They seized the school, killed about forty people, mostly faculty, and took the rest hostage. They were led by a man, who goes by the name The Black Jester. We busted in, killed most of the bad guys and captured who me could, little did we know that the Jester had hidden amongst the hostages... he managed to get one of ours." Dave finished with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"Friend of yours?" The Colonel asked with a look of sympathy.

"Yeah..." Dave replied with a far away look.

"You saved a lot of lives today. You should be proud." The Colonel stated, in a professional manner.

"Look... that crazy motherfucker, blew one of my friends in half... and these kids watched most of their teachers gunned down if front of them. Nothing good came out of what occurred today." Dave replied in a weary tone.

The Colonel nodded, he understood what it was like to lose people, though something about the fact that this wasn't a soldier he was talking too, it was just some kid, made the Colonel feel off.

"If at all possible, my superiors would like me to ask you a couple of questions?" The Colonel asked after a moment.

"Sure... but keep it quick, I'm sure that The Order of Carnage, is watching." Dave replied as he put his mask back on, and pulled his hood up.

"Okay. The first question is about the bad guys, what can you tell me about them?" The Colonel asked.

"The Order of Carnage, is led by a man named Cain, he's a world renowned mercenary, the members of the order, are part of his army. Cain's lieutenants are fanatically loyal to him, as are his foot soldiers. The order is efficient and highly trained. They prefer close range fighting, but are competent marksman, if the situation calls for it. Their military structure follows closely with the ancient Romans, while Cain himself, fancies himself, a samurai. Cain is not to be underestimated. He managed to get some of the most deranged killers on the planet to follow him. I don't know much more then that, I'd tread carefully when it comes to Cain." Dave finished in a formal manner.

"Understood. My next question is about Justice Forever. What can you tell us about yourselves?" The Colonel continued with his questioning.

"We're just a bunch of people, who are trying to do what's right. Theirs only a handful of us, but we practice everyday. We've got some of the most skilled fighters in the city, on our side. Our one and only goal is to wipe these criminals out, and take back our city." Dave explained as simply as he could.

"Theirs a lot of people cheering you guys on." The Colonel stated.

"Really?" Dave asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah. You may not hear a lot coming from the city itself, but outside the perimeter, you guys are gaining attention, worldwide. I just came from a military base with ten thousand marines on it, and each one is itching to get up here, and join up with you guys. I hear a lot of talk about people planning on sneaking into the city to hook up with you guys." The Colonel said with a smile, and a shake of his head.

Dave just gave a sad smile beneath his mask, after a moment he refocused on the Colonel. "Do you have anymore questions?"

"Actually I have something that I'm supposed to give you." The Colonel stated as he reached into his pocket and handed Dave a slip of paper.

Dave opened it, on the paper was a web address. "What is this?"

"When this all started, a group of kids in a school down in Nebraska, started a web site that people could send letters too, in support of you guys. They have been searching for a way to let you guys know, so that you could read all of the letters." The Colonel explained.

"Wow... thanks." Dave said sadly as he pocketed the piece of paper.

The Colonel looked over at a Little Bird helicopter, that was parker in front of the school, a moment later, two costumed heroes exited the school carrying a body bag. The Colonel watched as they loaded it into the helicopter.

"If theirs nothing else. I really need to get going." Dave explained.

"Don't let me keep you... I'm sorry about your man..." The Colonel stated, sympathetically.

"It was a woman, but thanks." Dave replied as he turned to leave.

"You're heroes, each and everyone of you. If you ever need anything, you need only ask. If you ever need to get away, there are countless people who would understand and wish you the best. Know that you're in our prayers, and we haven't forgotten you, here." The Colonel said, as Dave walked away.

Dave stopped and glanced back at the Colonel, "Keep your men safe, sir. Too many heroes have died in this war already." Dave replied as he continued towards the helicopter.

The Colonel watched as most of the heroes piled into black SUV while the rest hopped aboard the helicopter.

He watched as Dave Lisewski hopped onto the helicopter and looked back at him, as it took off. The two locked eyes as the helicopter flew off, the Colonel couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration toward the young heroes as they flew away. As they vanished from sight, the Colonel made himself a silent vow, to shake that young mans hand, when this war was over.

* * *

-Earlier that day-

Mindy stifled a moan as she hit her climax, she felt her body tremble and quiver as waves a pleasure cascaded over her.

It was a moment before she noticed the warm feeling of Dave's cum inside of her. She let out an exhausted laugh as she felt him wrap his arms around her. Mindy was supporting a lot of Dave's weight since the two were enjoying some doggy-style action, she purred in delight as she felt his breath on her neck. After a moment he got off of her, and pulled out of her, he sat back on the bed and just admired his beautiful fiancee.

Mindy looked back at him, she smiled as she noticed him admiring her ass and pussy. "Like what you see?" She asked in a sassy voice as she leaned up onto her knees, and began too gently sway her hips left and right.

"Oh yeah." Dave replied.

Mindy adopted a wide grin as she turned around and continued to sway her hips back and forth.

She watched as Dave became mesmerized by the sway of her hips. Ever since their date night, Mindy didn't ever feel shy around Dave, and she was even beginning to really flaunt her body around him.

"I'm guessing you want to go again?" Dave asked without lifting his gaze from her hips.

"Maybe..." Mindy answered with a seductive grin, as she crawled towards him, on her hands and knees, like a cat.

"Do you ever take a break?" Dave asked as she closed in on him.

It had been three weeks since Dave proposed to her, six days after he proposed, Dave and Marcus, finally let her begin training again, though they made her take it easy. Ever since Mindy started training, the two of them had been having a shit-load of sex.

Mindy was positively glowing, for the first few days after Dave's proposal. Every girl in the group along with Marty, Todd, and... Andrew for some reason, all spent a great deal of time, lavishing the young girl with compliments. They were all so happy for her, Dave had never seen Mindy's face so red.

For the first six nights after he proposed, Dave and Mindy made passionate love each night, after Mindy was allowed to start training again, that all changed. They still made love every night, but every morning Mindy would wake up and seduce Dave into fucking her senseless. Dave found it odd, the first time they ever 'fucked', Mindy apologized for acting so needy, now however, they were fucking every damn day, and making love every night, and their wasn't an apology in sight. Dave also found it odd that their sexual escapades had become much more intense, they would wake up an hour or two earlier then usual and fuck for an hour or two, before getting dressed and having some breakfast. Dave didn't understand what was making his lover so horny all of a sudden.

As she approached him, his eyes drifted down to her scar, Mindy had made an impressive amount of progress in her recovery, she still couldn't run, but she was walking fine, it still hurt to stand and to sit, but otherwise she could move about normally. As Dave scanned her scar something struck him...

"You bitch..." Dave said as his eyes went wide, and his jaw hung open.

"What?" Mindy asked with a confused look.

"You've been using me." Dave accused with a disbelieving smile.

"What?" Mindy asked again, though this time, she kind of averted her eyes, that was all the proof Dave needed, he finally why she had been so sex crazy these last few weeks.

"You've been using me to help you 'exercise'." Dave stated in disbelief.

Mindy just sat back and hung her head in defeat.

"You clever bitch." Dave stated with a laugh. "How the hell didn't I see this?"

"Come on Dave... it's not like I was doing anything wrong." Mindy stated with a sigh as she looked at him with pouting eyes.

"Nothing wrong? I feel so... used." Dave replied feigning disgust.

"Come on, Dave. All of this movement is good for me, plus it's not like you're not having fun." Mindy replied with another sigh, as she cocked her head at him. She was sure he was just joking around, but she didn't want to overstep her boundaries if he was actually upset.

"I... just can't believe it. I feel so dirty." Dave stated, pretending to be mortified by this turn of events.

"I'm sorry Dave. Do you want me to make you feel better?" Mindy asked in seductive tone as she crawled up next to him.

"No." Dave replied in a pouting voice, as he lay on his side and curled into the fetal position.

"You're acting like a child." Mindy said with a laugh.

"You violated me..." Dave responded as he began to fake, sob.

"Dave... I'm so sorry." Mindy stated in a sympathetic tone. "I'll tell you what... why don't I just sit back, and let you take out all of your pent up frustration on me."

"I... see what you did there." Dave stated as he sat up and looked at her with a grin.

"You're not really mad at me, are you?" Mindy asked as she snuggled up next to him.

"No, not really... I should have seen right through your little ruse... the only thing that gets you off more then I do, is training." Dave replied, with a shake of his head.

"How about I make it up to you?" Mindy stated as she grabbed his dick.

"Yeah... well, I don't know if more sex is going to make me feel better." Dave huffed in a sarcastic tone.

"Right..." Mindy stated as she leaned down and kissed the end of Dave's penis.

"Oh..." Dave stated as he watched her, "Well, I guess I can't turn down that offer."

"Sucker." Mindy teased as she began to take his dick into her mouth.

"You sure are." Dave retorted, Mindy pulled back and looked up at him with an annoyed face.

"Sorry." Dave stated with a laugh.

Mindy just smiled and shook her head before returning to the blow job.

Dave just stared down at her, as he watched her head bob up and down along his hardened shaft a thought occurred to him, this was only the second blow job she had ever given him. The two had been having sex for weeks and it just now occurred to Dave that when it came down to it, vaginal intercourse was all they did. Dave decided to make a mental note to change things up the next time they had sex.

After a moment, Mindy began to stroke with one hand and began to fondle his balls with the other. As Dave was enjoying himself, a thought suddenly came to him, anytime he asked Mindy about where she learned about sex stuff, she would always say that she did some research, Dave always assumed that meant that she was looking on those sex education websites that had a lot of technical terms. Now however, he was beginning to wonder if 'research' meant porn.

Dave lost himself in thought as he began to imagine Mindy masturbating to porn, online. It was right about then that the worst possible thing that could have happened did.

There was suddenly, loud banging on the their door, the banging startled Mindy, and she squeezed her hands into fists and jerked her head up. Her eyes shot back to the door, but her attention was drawn back to Dave as he howled in pain.

Mindy looked back and noticed that she had accidentally squeezed his balls really hard. She let go as Dave cried in pain and rolled off the bed.

"Shit! Dave are you alright?" Mindy asked suddenly.

"My balls..." Dave moaned into the floor as he buried his head in the carpet.

"Hey, are you guys awake in there?" They heard Katie shout from the door.

"Yeah, one second!" Mindy shouted in reply, as she quickly got to her feet and threw on some pajama pants and a tank top before opening the door.

"Hey..." Katie began but stopped when she noticed a naked Dave, squirming around on the floor, crying in pain.

"What?" Mindy asked, ignoring Dave.

"You guys have got to come too the armory, something has happened to our old school." Katie explained as she watched Dave wiggle around on the floor, she noticed him clenching his junk.

"Did I interrupt something?" Katie asked, with a side-ways smile.

"I think I might have crushed one of Dave's balls. What happened with our school?" Mindy quickly deflected as Dave rose to his feet behind her, and gave her a death glare.

"Hey Dave. How they hangin'?" Katie asked with a smirk.

"I hate both of you." Dave replied in an angry voice as he grabbed some underwear and began getting dressed.

"Get dressed and come too the armory." Katie instructed with a smirk as she turned to leave.

"Are you okay, Dave?" Mindy asked sympathetically, as she turned to look at him as he pulled up his pants.

"I'm fine with my girlfriend giving me blue balls, but when she starts giving me purple balls, that's when I draw the line." Dave replied angrily as he finished putting on a shirt.

"Come on Dave, it couldn't have hurt that bad." Mindy said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh really?" Dave said in a mocking tone, as he finished getting dressed and walked towards her.

As Dave walked by her, he suddenly jabbed her in the crotch. Mindy doubled over in pain, as the wind was knocked out of her. She tried to regain her breath, as she struggled to her feet.

"That's called an upper cunt. Did it hurt?" Dave asked, with a smug look.

"Fucking, yes!" Mindy replied as she straightened up.

"That's how my balls feel." Dave stated as he walked past her.

"Fucking Christ!" Mindy said breathlessly as she followed after him.

The two of them hobbled into the armory, the way they walked drew everyone's attention.

"The fuck happened to you two?" Todd asked with a surprised look.

"Mindy crushed my nuts." Dave whined.

"Dave gave me an upper-cunt." Mindy whined as well.

"Lovers quarrel?" Duncan asked with a perked eye brow.

"Don't wanna talk about it." Dave stated, in a tired tone.

"Sorry to interrupt your foreplay, but we have a serious problem." Harper stated.

Mindy and Dave both eyed him for a second, both wondering how this guys managed to always sneak in undetected, both made a mental not to check for secret tunnels, later.

"What is it?" Dave asked, eying him intently.

"Just over an hour ago, thirty seven legionnaires, captured a local school, and took all of the children hostage, we believe the staff, and the police that were guarding them, have all been executed." Harper explained.

"It's our school, you guys." Katie stated.

"What? Are you sure?" Dave asked not believing it.

"Absolutely. This has to be an attack against us." Katie said with a shake of her head.

"Alright then... I say we go in there and kick a little ass." Dave stated after a moment of thought, most member of the group nodded in agreement.

"Dave..." Mindy said, in a low voice. Dave looked back at her, he could tell from her eyes, that she wanted to come with.

Marcus caught noticed her look too and was getting ready to support Dave, when he stopped. Marcus looked on, confused as Dave nodded.

"I can go?" Mindy asked as her eyes widened, with glee.

"Yes." Dave stated, "But..." He cut her off, as she was about to throw her arms around him and thank him.

"Don't thank me. I'm not bringing you along because I want too. With Cain and his men looking for us, I don't trust anyone to stay here alone, and we need everyone to come with us, including Eisenhower." Dave explained meekly.

Mindy nodded to show that she understood.

"You can come with us, but you will be staying with Duncan and Natasha. You're a good shot with a rifle, so you can help out there." Dave stated.

Mindy looked like she was about too argue but then decided against it, at the very least Dave was letting her out into the field, if she had to stay at the rear and kill bad guys from a distance, then that's what she would do.

"I know it sucks... You'll be out on the front lines soon enough, for now, grit your teeth and bear it." Dave said in a sympathetic tone.

Mindy nodded her head once again, she didn't really care that she would have to stay in back, just being in costume again would be good enough for her.

"This is the first major play, that Cain has made since our assault on the hangar. We need to prepare for anything. I'm gonna guess that they're holding the students in the gym?" Dave finished, addressing Harper.

"Yes... we don't know the status of the children, but a lot of gunshot were heard. The NYPD is holding their position outside of the school, and the Marines will be arriving in forty-five minutes to take back the school, they'll also escort the students out of the school after it's been retaken." Harper explained to them.

"Gyms a wide open area. Dominic, Andrei, you two will lead two small teams in clearing the hallways. Samuel, Eileigh, Crystal, you'll lead three teams to the gym. Mindy and Duncan get eyes on the school, it's four stories tall, so you guys should be able to get a good angle on it. Natasha, our school was anal about safety, they had metal detectors at every entrance, except for the loading area, so I'm going to need you to disable them, once that's done, there are plenty of cameras in the building that you might be able to hack into." Dave ordered them.

"Right... I will do my best." Natasha replied with a smile.

"Elena... I know the whole superhero thing isn't part of your job description but we're going to need you to come with us." Dave said with a sigh.

"Sure... whatever you need, anything to help." Elena replied with a nod.

"We'll have you wait in the helicopter with Jon. You two will be standing by in case someone needs medical attention. Elena can try to stabilize them while Jon flies them to the hospital." Dave finished explaining the plan.

"Sounds good to me." Jon stated merrily.

"Alright, Dominic. Pick your team. Lets say three people." Dave stated.

"Okay... I'll take Ace, Miranda, and Jaina." Dominic picked, after a moment of thought.

"Alright, Andrei." Dave stated.

"I shall take, Marty, Donald, and Aiko, with me." Andrei said after his own moment of thought.

"That leaves eight. Samuel, pick two, you'll act as the vanguard. Eileigh and Crystal pick three." Dave said after he did the math in his head.

"Very well, If I am to act as the vanguard, then I would have Dave and Andrew with me." Samuel said after he scanned the remaining members.

"Alright... ladies." Dave said focusing his attention on Crystal and Eileigh.

"I'll take Todd, Peter, and Barbara." Eileigh said after a moment.

"Then that leaves me with Katie, Marcus and Lisa." Crystal finished with a smile.

"Okay teams... we have our jobs. Let's get geared up and head out... we don't have a lot of time, before the Marines show up and steal out thunder." Dave said with a wicked grin.

Most of the members, grinned as well. This was going to be their first true public act. The kids in the school would be watching, their parents would be watching, the police and the media would be watching. The whole country had their eyes on this event, and it was time to prove themselves.

"I would like to offer my assistance." Hanzo stated.

"Are you sure Hanzo?" Aiko asked. Hanzo had always been a wild card, he wasn't an official member of the group, and yet sometimes he would offer his assistance.

"Yes. This seems like a dangerous mission, and I do believe my skill set could be helpful." Hanzo explained with a smile.

"Fine... you go with Samuel's team." Aiko stated, after she received a nod from Dave.

"Very well, princess Aiko." Hanzo replied.

"Do whatever Samuel, and Dave tell you too do. No collateral damage will be accepted." Aiko explained to him.

"Alright." Hanzo responded, his ever persistent smile still present.

"Andrei, Eisenhower is going with you team." Dave said after a moment.

"Very well." Andrei replied, with a nod.

* * *

-Five minutes later-

Dave stood in front of the SUV, Harper had given them two more. Dave watched as the heroes filtered out into the cars.

His eyes fell on Hit Girl, as she emerged from the armory. She had an M14 DMR, she walked alongside Duncan, Natasha, Elena and Jon, who were all headed too the helicopter, so that Jon could drop them off on the roof of one of the surrounding buildings.

As they walked by him, Hit Girl stopped in front of him.

"It's good to see you back in costume." The Fallen said with a smile.

"Feels good." Hit Girl, replied with a smile.

"Let's get this done." The Fallen stated after a moment.

"You stay safe out there." Hit Girl ordered, as she made a move to walk by him.

"No need. I've got my own personal guardian angel, watching over me." The Fallen replied, as he hopped into one of the SUV.

Hit Girl looked back at him and smiled, before turning and continuing to the helicopter.

* * *

-20 minutes later-

Mindy, Duncan, Natasha and Elena, wandered down the halls of the school towards the gym. They passed a handful of dead legionnaires, Mindy simply looked down at them and smiled, evilly. They had succeeded in retaking the school, the fight wasn't overly difficult, and no one was hurt in the cross fire. They asked the police to remain outside while they did a thorough check of the school, and rounded up the prisoners, that they had captured.

Mindy felt odd, being here, in costume. She had so many good and bad memories of this school, it all just felt so strange being here, when the halls were so quite.

Suddenly they all heard a loud popping sound. It was a small explosion.

The radio's immediately lit up with chatter.

"What the hell was that?" Mindy shouted over the radio.

"Samuel go and check on them. ELENA we need you here now!" Dave shouted.

"There he goes!" Andrew shouted.

Gunshots began ringing out.

Mindy and Duncan shot each other a look, right as a figure in a dark sweatshirt charged around the corner ahead of them. For a second, he looked like a student, he was short, and Mindy couldn't see his face.

"Hey kid, what happened?" Mindy shouted as he ran towards them.

"Explosion, in the crowd, I think your friends are hurt." The guy cried as he ran by them. The four shared a look then turned to run down the hall towards the gym.

Suddenly Dave, Andrew, Todd, and Eisenhower, emerged from around the corner.

"Guys..." Mindy started to say, until she noticed the gun in Dave's arms, he had picked up an M4 from one of the legionnaires, and was aiming it towards them.

"Move!" Dave shouted as he closed the gap.

Mindy and Duncan reacted immediately and stood to the side, both of their eyes shooting down the hall towards the hooded figure.

Dave and Todd both fired at him, with their rifles, but they were too late, they missed each shot as he rounded the corner.

"Shit!" Dave growled as he charged after him.

"Come on!" Todd shouted to the four bewildered heroes as they ran by.

After a moment, Duncan, Mindy, and Natasha, began to follow after them.

Dave noticed Elena standing bewildered in the hallway and shouted back, "Elena! Gym! Now!"

His shouts broke through her trance, and she turned and ran down the hall towards the gym.

The heroes gave chase for a few moments, and rounded the corner right as SWAT entered into the building.

"Did you see a guy in a sweatshirt run by?" Dave asked one of them.

The SWAT member stared at him, and the looked back at his lieutenant.

"Yeah, he ran by saying you guys needed help." The Lieutenant replied.

"FUCK!" Dave shouted as he ran by them.

"He's a member of The Order of Carnage!" Todd shouted to them as he ran by.

A few of the SWAT members looked at each other before following after Dave, to offer any assistance.

A moment went by and they made it outside.

People all throughout the crowd that had gathered beyond the police perimeter began cheering at the sight of the heroes, who had just moments earlier, broken through the police barricade, and charged into the school.

Dave scanned the crowd, his eyes fell on a short figure in a sweatshirt, the figures face was concealed by the hood, after a moment the hooded figure pulled back his hood.

He had dark hair, but his face was painted white, and he was wearing a grinning white mask. He looked at Dave and then at Andrew, before smiling, and vanishing into the crowd.

A few of the SWAT members noticed the man and ran towards the crowd.

"So... he's finally returned." Andrew stated bleakly.

"Who?" Dave asked in an angry tone of voice.

"The Black Jester..." Andrew replied as he turned and walked back into the school.

Mindy, Duncan, Todd, Natasha, and Eisenhower all gathered around Dave.

Dave stood silent for a second, before reaching up to his ear piece.

"Samuel." Dave called over the radio.

"Two dead. One was a seventeen year old boy..." Samuel replied, they could barely hear the sound of crying coming from the other side.

"...Lisa?" Dave asked.

Mindy's and the others eyes shot wide, as they all looked at Dave.

"I am sorry." Samuel replied.

"Oh my god." Natasha cried as her hands shot too her mouth.

Dave hung his head as he stood there, recalling the sight.

* * *

-flashback begin-

They had just finished off the last of the legionnaires, all of the students were sitting in the bleachers on either side of the gym, there was over one thousand kids in this school. Most were in awe, some were weeping, or hugging their friends.

Twenty or thirty kids were held on the gym floor on their knees. They were all older kids, the members of Justice Forever went around the room, and helped these kids to their feet.

Lisa walked over too one, a boy in a hooded sweatshirt. She reached her hand out to help him to his feet, as always, she had a gentle smile on her face. After a moment the hooded figure reached out and took her hand.

Dave knew immediately that something was wrong, Lisa's eyes shot too her hand and the hooded guy tumbled back away from her. Dave's eyes shot too her hand, in it was something black, that looked like it was stuck too her hand. He glanced at her face and locked eyes with her, as she vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Her body along with a few of the students that were siting on either side of her, flew away as the explosion went off.

* * *

-flashback end-

Dave cringed painfully as he kept replaying the event in his head, the way she looked over at him, right before the bomb that had been stuck too her hand went off.

After a second Dave turned and marched back into the school.

The others followed after him, Mindy followed right at his side, her face was stone, but her eyes were watery. Mindy had prepared herself for this eventuality, that didn't mean that it didn't hurt, and that she wasn't torn apart by this turn of events.

They passed Andrew who was leaning against some lockers, he had taken off his executioners hood, and his helmet, and his eyes were also watery. He looked angry, beyond angry, and yet, he also looked incredibly sad.

Dave stopped and looked at him for a second, after a moment he placed a hand on Andrew's shoulder.

"He's a mistake... one that I intend to correct. I promise... I will find him, and kill him, for this." Andrew stated in a solemn voice.

Dave simply nodded, before removing his hand and continuing down the hall.

As they entered into the gym, they saw Jon enter carrying a body bag. Mindy watched as Dave stopped, she knew how he must be feeling. Mindy quickly took his hand in hers, as they stood there, after a moment he looked down at her, his eyes, expressing gratitude.

He let go of her hand and walked over to Samuel, and Andrei, who were knelt next to Lisa's body. Jon walked over too them and began setting up the body bag.

Mindy watched sadly as the four men, put their friends body in the body bag... after a moment Mindy averted her eyes from the scene and began scanning the crowd of students who all cowered in the bleachers.

Mindy's eye finally settled on a familiar blonde... Brooke. Brooke's eyes widened as she noticed Hit Girl, everyone knew who Hit Girl, Battle Guy, and The Fallen, really were, so a lot of the students stared wide eyed at them.

Mindy would have loved to be smug right now... but a friend had just died. Brooke wasn't worth her attention right now.

* * *

-Later-

Dave and Mindy sat in the helicopter. Dave held his phone in his hand, they were sitting out in front of the headquarters, the rest of Justice Forever was gathered around the helicopter.

Mindy glanced down at the body bag that sat on the ground in front of them.

"Does anyone want to say something?" Ace asked, finally breaking the silence. Most of the groups member were either crying, or held looks of anger... or both.

After a moment Dave stood and knelt next to the body bag.

"...Thank you... Lisa." Dave stated. After a moment he stood. "Rest. You've earned it."

Dave finally dialed Harper's number and walked away from the group.

"What do you think we'll do with her?" Todd asked sadly.

"Dave's calling Harper. He's going to see about shipping her body back too, Israel." Marcus explained.

"I wonder if she has any family there?" Marty stated sadly.

After a moment Dave returned. "Good job today, you guys. You all fought well. Mindy!" Dave finished, addressed her.

"What?" Mindy asked quietly.

"From now on, you'll work with Duncan. He'll keep an eye on your performance. You'll let me know when you think she's ready to return too the front line." Dave finished, addressing Duncan.

"Sure... I can do that." Duncan said with a nod.

"Good. Let's get her inside, Harper's sending a helicopter to pick her up. He'll have her shipped back too Israel." Dave stated.

Mindy and the others watched sadly, as Dave, Andrei, Donald, and Crystal, all picked up the body bag and carried it towards the garage.

* * *

-five minutes later-

Mindy walked into her and Dave's room, she was still wearing her Hit Girl costume. She stopped and stood in front of a mirror, she looked at herself, sadly. The day she had been waiting for had finally arrived, and yet it was a bittersweet return to her crime fighting ways. Lisa was dead, and a new enemy had emerged, 'The Black Jester'. Mindy felt a single tear trickle down her face as she silently vowed to murder that son of a bitch.

_Okay that's it for this chapter. It was an emotional roller-coaster, and don't worry I plan on adding in more of Brooke, but later, right now she's barely a blimp on the importance radar. Let me know what you think and look forward too the next chapter soon._


End file.
